Changes
by AmericanGecko
Summary: Kim and Ron have graduated from Middleton, and things are changing in their world. Some of these changes they are ready for, and some they aren't. However, as Kim says, "Don't fear the future." COMPLETE. BOOK 1 in the "PLAUSIBLE POSSIBILITIES" universe.
1. Chapter 1

A/N

Okay, just updating this chapter with a few revisions and edits that were pointed out to me. Also, I found a plot hole in my story, and had to rewrite a small section to make it make sense. Nothing major or story-altering, just something that needed to be done.

Also, because a few people pointed it out to me, I'm adding in these:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) of Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

There are also extra original characters, but only for purpose of story. These characters, unless otherwise noted, are original creations of my imagination, and I would appreciate it if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

The sun was just starting to rise over Lake Middleton, signaling the beginning of a brand new summer day. Those who had stayed out all night on the beach after Middleton High's graduation the previous night were just now beginning to stir, some a little slower than others due to the refreshments and activities they had partaken in. Some were immediately stricken with fear that they were late for school, others couldn't have cared less, but it would eventually dawn on all members of the Mad Dog class of 2006 that they were no longer responsible for attending classes at their alma mater. As the realization spread through the crowd, a collective cheer could be heard as far north as the farthest edge of Upperton, and as far south as the lowest border of Lowerton. However, amidst all the celebration, two voices were noticeably absent, and these two people were probably the most responsible of all the former Mad Dogs for there even having been a graduation ceremony…

Over on the other side of town, on a large-sized ledge jutting out of Mt. Middleton that no car should have been able to safely access, sat a modified, purple Roth SL Coupe, a.k.a. a Sloth, convertible with the top put all the way down. The three occupants had fled to this secluded spot after only a few hours of celebrating on Lake Middleton Beach with the rest of the graduates. Inside, two of the three occupants were still fast asleep. Only one figure was awake, and that was because he always was up before the other two. The small creature often woke up before the two people he considered to both be his owners, mainly because the girl seemed to be there almost nearly as much as the boy who had purchased him so many years ago at Smarty Mart. No matter where they went, he was always with them, but moments like this made him sometimes wish he stayed home more often. Things could be decidedly boring when he was the only one of the trio awake, and though it rarely happened for longer than a few minutes, it sometimes made him just a little annoyed. But only a little. However, this particular time was certainly one he could let slide with a definitive smile on his face.

If recent events were taken into account, Rufus had known that this morning was bound to be this way. Because of this, he was grateful for the fact that, despite the red head's warnings, his master had yet to clear out the Bueno Nacho bags from under the front seat. It seemed that the boy was always leaving take-out scraps and trash in his girlfriend's car, but for some reason Rufus would never understand, she very rarely, if ever, got mad at him over it. Judging from the smell that reached his acutely tuned mole rat nose, he concluded the most recent bags were less than two days old and the oldest were maybe three, meaning that they were still edible. It wasn't the first choice he had for breakfast that morning, but considering the week the two humans had just been through, Rufus didn't expect them to be waking up anytime soon. To be honest, he wouldn't blame them even if they slept for half the day; they certainly deserved the much-needed rest. So, he dove in to the remains of several breakfast churros, as well as what he was pleased to find were the leftovers of at least three barely half-eaten Nacos. One thing he would always be grateful to his master for would be the invention of those delicious, spicy treats.

In the back seat of the vehicle, the girl was just starting to stir, helped slightly by the joyful squeaks she could hear coming from the front passenger side floorboard of her car. That was one thing that, although it had helped her out of more than a few tight spots, annoyed Kim Possible just slightly about the hero business: the slightest noise could instantly bring her out from the deepest sleep, something that this morning she still felt like she desperately needed. That had been one of the main reasons she had pulled her sandy-haired boyfriend towards the car so they could leave the graduation party over at the lake. Sure, Kim wanted to celebrate, but she wanted to do more than celebrate with a bunch of people she had a hunch she probably wouldn't see much of after these next few weeks. No, what she really wanted to do was get a few hours alone time with just her and the boy…correction, the Man, who had proved beyond any shadow of a doubt just a few nights earlier that he would do anything to protect her. She still shivered slightly when she thought about it.

It had definitely been a very close call, a situation that had been a lot closer to life-threatening than she would ever like to get again. She had been almost completely out of it, knocked practically unconscious during the fight with the Lorwardians. However, she had been aware enough to know what was going on. Like when her boyfriend had stepped up to the plate and acted decisively, stopping the aliens' attack dead in its tracks. She also knew that had he not reacted when he did, both saving her life while at the same time securing the safety of the world, that she probably wouldn't have lived through that battle. The bravery and heroism he had displayed at that crucial moment had proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that might have still lingered in her mind that he would always be there for her no matter what. As she had done so many times since then, she softly pushed herself up towards his sleeping face and planted a soft, loving kiss there on both of his freckled cheeks. She then leaned up to gaze at him lovingly for a moment before deciding to add a third one to his lips. When she did, Kim felt him stir, surprising her by returning her kiss with a love that she knew he reserved only for her. She felt his arms wrap lovingly around her, and their small kiss slowly evolved into one of great love, their tongues passionately probing the depths of each other's mouths. It was almost a full two minutes before they came up for air. When they finally did, Kim saw nothing but love and adoration for her in his smiling brown eyes.

Ron Stoppable looked up at the beautiful young woman who had tried to kiss him his sleep, apparently having been unawares that he had been awake for at least a few minutes before she had ever stirred. Even after more than a year, and all the fun, adventures, and romance that had passed between them, he still found the situation breathtaking and awe inspiring. It was amazing to him, and still hard to believe, that he had a girlfriend, and even more unbelievable that it was Kim Possible who was _his_ girlfriend. Everything that considered or examined how relationships operated, be it Animology, The Rules, or all that other romantic stuff, might have said it shouldn't…wouldn't…couldn't work, but it had happened none the less. Admittedly, there had been signs that had suggested they might end up here, stuff like that whole mess with the Moodulators, as well as Kim's reaction to her discovery of Yori. But even those brief glimpses into the possibilities of what could be between the two of them had only shown him that there was more to their relationship than typically existed between best friends.

And although he had allowed himself to hope, he could never have imagined that it would have ever come about. Even that fateful night at the Bueno Nacho headquarters during the Lil' Diablos mission, when he had finally confessed the way his heart saw her, had felt like a complete shot in the dark while blindfolded. But amazingly, she had returned his affections, agreeing to join him in making something more out of their close friendship. That same night, they had shared their first kiss at the junior prom, a special moment he would never forget. They had been going out for more than a year now, and other than a few incidents (like that whole mess with the battle suit and the time she had temporarily lost her memory), there hadn't been any serious problems with their relationship. And now here she was, propping herself up on top of him in the back of her car, her beautiful red hair hanging down towards him, and the early sunrise framing around her head like a gorgeous halo. Ron instantly felt he had never seen Kim look more beautiful or radiant, but he knew in his mind and in his heart that he would more than likely be telling himself the same thing again many times over before the day was through.

"Morning, KP," he smiled as he leaned up to kiss her again.

"Morning, yourself," she grinned back at him after another long, passionate kiss. As she righted herself, she gestured with a flip of her auburn hair towards the front of the vehicle. "By the way, it sounds like Rufus has found the bags you forgot to clean out of here the other day."

"Aww, man," he complained good-naturedly as he slowly rose from his sleeping position. He was once again grateful that Kim's brothers, Jim and Tim, had made sure the back seats were well padded. It wasn't the first time he and Kim had spent the night in this car, but those other times were different. On those occasions, they had been on missions, and it was for that purpose that the Tweebs (as Kim liked to call them) had made sure the back seats and front seats could fold out or down into comfortable beds. However, this was the first time the stay hadn't been mission related, and yet the sleeping accommodations were still extremely comfortable. Ron had a sneaking suspicion that the twins had guessed that their sister might be using the vehicle's accommodations for other things, but he wasn't about to confirm that notion. It would be a dangerous thing to do with any girl, but even stupider when your girlfriend knew at least sixteen different forms of kung fu, more than most professional cage fighters.

Not to mention the fact that he knew that Kim still wanted her first time to be her wedding night, and who could blame her. Truth be told, he wanted to do the same thing himself, although lately he seemed to find it a more and more alluring idea. However, he had more respect for her than that, and wasn't about to broach the subject with her. He didn't even know what he'd do if she were the one to bring it up, and honestly, part of him sort of hoped that she would want to wait until they were official. One of the things he wanted more than anything was to give her the ultimate gift as a culmination of what he was sure would be the most special day of their lives. That time may be at least a few years off yet, but it was something that still ran through his mind almost on a daily basis, the day when he could officially pledge himself to her and hear her do the same to him.

As he climbed into the front seats to gather the fast food remains together, he found only empty bags, bare boxes, and cleaned out wrappers. Slightly puzzled, Ron soon found the reason for the food's demolishment curled up in a snoozing ball at the bottom of the final bag. He smiled, chuckling softly to himself, and quietly pulled the sleeping mole rat out of the bag and slowly inserted him into his pocket. Rufus stirred slightly as he reached the bottom of his owner's pocket, but soon curled back into a ball and drifted back off to peaceful sleep. Ron patted the pocket softly. It was then that he felt a pair of fingers working up his back under his shirt. He smiled to himself: he'd know those fingers anywhere, even if he didn't know Kim was there with him. Ron turned back towards her. As he did, he caught a glimpse of the car's clock, which the twins had rigged to show the time regardless of whether or not the car was turned on, and his mouth dropped open. Immediately, visions of rockets on one-way trips to black holes began to invade his imagination.

"Uh….KP?" he said nervously. "What time did your mom and dad say you needed to get back home?"

Kim continued to gather the stuff from the previous night together in the back seat, though she did look over her shoulder at him when she answered. "Um, actually I don't think they said. Why?"

Ron gulped. "Just might be something to consider, since it's almost 9:00 AM now. And that's normally the mission curfew they hold you to." He started to panic a little bit. "Kim, your dad is going to put me in a black hole for sure for keeping you out this late."

Kim turned and laughed a bit. "Dad wouldn't do that for this. He knew we were out celebrating our graduation from Middleton." Then she grinned sexily at him. "Besides, you're not wanting to cut this little rendezvous short, are you, Ronnie?"

Ron gulped again, but this one was borne more out of attraction to the beautiful young woman in front of him than the nervousness that had been behind all the previous ones. One thing that he had noticed many years ago, even before they had started going out, maybe even back before their first official mission to help Mr. Paisley, was how appealing he found her. It became even more apparent and irresistible to him when he noticed she was actually trying to entice, as she was now. She could be absolutely downright sexy when she wanted to be, and this just happened to be one of those times that always caught him by pleasant surprise. Only one phrase could possibly fit the way he felt right at that moment.

"Boo Yeah," he replied just slightly lower than his normal voice.

His signature phrase came out with a tone that sent warm shivers up and down Kim's spine. He reached for his girlfriend and pulled her in close, close enough that she could feel his breath warming her lips. Kim smiled at her boyfriend before closing the few inches between them to draw him into another long, passionate kiss.

_Nothing could spoil this moment_, she thought, letting herself get lost in the moment, _not a single thing on Earth_. Nothing that is except…

_Beep, Beep, Be-Deep._

The kiss was broken rather reluctantly, and each of them let out an exasperated sigh. They stared at each other for a moment with matching "_what can we do"_ looks on their faces. Next there came a look towards the front of the vehicle, where Kim's wrist Kimmunicator sat on top of the dash where she had put it last night. Then Ron shrugged a bit, and said what they both were thinking.

"Well, we did only ask Wade to give us a break from missions through last night, not today."

Kim half-grinned, half-grimaced, wishing she'd asked Wade for a longer hiatus from being contacted about missions. Come to think of it, she was almost tempted to ask him if there was any way this particular call could wait for a few minutes, maybe even hours. However, Ron was right—they had only asked for a single day off. Quickly, she checked her hair in the car's rearview mirror. She then had to half force herself to put on her usual sweet smile before she reached up and clicked a button on the side of the wrist Kimmunicator. "Go, Wade."

The boy genius smiled back at her from the device. "Hey, graduates. How does it feel to not have to go back to Middleton High anymore?"

Ron poked his head over Kim's shoulder and waved to their mutual friend. "What up, Wade? How'd it go between you and Monique last night? Saw you two hanging together quite a lot."

For the first time in the many years the two teens had known the young genius that either of them could ever remember, both Kim and Ron thought they saw Wade blush. "Well…um…we…that is to say I…"

Kim had to suppress a bit of a giggle. "Wade, I thought Monique was still a bit ticked at you over that whole Cupid Ray fiasco."

The young genius looked off to his left for a minute as if there were something very important there. "Well, she kind of…needed a place to stay…and, well, we happen to have those guest rooms available here…"

Ron and Kim looked at each questioningly. "Uh, Wade," asked Ron, "Isn't Monique's home in a neighborhood on the side of Middleton that wasn't attacked and destroyed by the Lorwardians?"

Suddenly, Wade got very quiet. He tried to cover his shock, but both Kim and Ron picked up on the shadow of horror that crossed his normally calm and serene face. However, the look was gone as quickly as it had come, and he immediately launched into the reason he had made the call.

"We got a…a very special hit on the site, Kim. And it's for you, Ron…and me…from Global Justice."

"Global Justice? For _all three_ of us?" they said at the same time, each unable to hide the surprise in their voice.

"Wade, the last time they contacted both me and Ron was during that whole 'Ron Factor' period, when they thought Ron was behind the success we have on all our missions. And if they've ever wanted to meet with you, you've never mentioned it to us. What's going on here?" Kim was more than a little perplexed.

Wade scratched his head. "I'm not really sure, Kim. They just said they needed to meet with the three of us about something important. They didn't really give a lot of details."

Ron put his hands on Kim's shoulders and slowly gave them a few comforting rubs. "Don't worry about it, KP. I'm sure they just want to talk to us about the fight with the Lorwardians. It shouldn't be too big a deal."

Kim didn't feel at all convinced. Something just wasn't sitting right about this particular sitch. It wasn't that she had a bad feeling about the call from the worldwide spy/hero organization, although it did seem to carry something ominous behind it. Normally, when Global Justice wanted to talk to her or to Ron, they pulled some sort of stunt to ensure a meeting. With the first mission involving the agency, when Kim had first gone up against Duff Killigan, they had sucked Kim unwillingly through a transport tube to their headquarters. The second time the teens had met up with Global Justice, when the group was researching what they called the "Ron Factor", G. J. had set up a fake robbery using a robot ninja that led Kim and Ron on a rooftop and tunnel chase directly to the agency's front door.

Another thing that bothered her was that Global Justice rarely called on anyone for any sort of help without a very good reason. That held especially true for her and Ron, and even more so when it came to speaking to Wade. And even if it was only about their fight with the Lorwardians, she couldn't help but think that Global Justice should have already gathered all the information they needed. It had been a few days after all, and the agents of G.J. were normally on top of stuff like that inside of an hour. Add to that that Kim was getting a strange feeling in the back of her mind that put her at unease. No, there was something definitely fishy about this entire sitch.

"Kim…Kim," Ron prodded as he shook her gently by the shoulders again. "Hey, KP, are you alright?"

"Huh? What?" Kim jolted out of her worries with a bit of surprise, and looked at Ron confusedly. She hadn't even realized she was zoning out with her concerns.

"Wade's got some more info on this meeting," he said, motioning towards her Kimmunicator.

"Actually, I was just saying that I think Ron's probably right about this whole Global Justice thing," Wade chimed in cheerfully. "It's probably nothing world threatening. And even if it is, it's nothing you two can't handle. You've already saved the world from an alien invasion, and that rescue was on a grander scale than any of your other missions or adventures. Anything they can throw at you, I'm sure you two will be able to handle it no problem."

Ron pecked Kim's cheek with a kiss. "Wade's right, Kim. Besides, even if it is another mission, we don't have to worry about getting back to school or any make-up work anymore. We can just kick back and relax afterwards. Maybe even pick up where we left off," he added with a slightly knowing smile.

Kim laughed appreciatively at Ron's attempt to alleviate some of her worry. "I think I'll keep you around."

While Wade dished out the remaining information and specifics concerning their upcoming meeting with Global Justice to Kim, Ron started cleaning up the car for the trip to Ron's house, clearing out the trash and resetting the back seats into their regular upright positions. They needed to pick up their mission clothes, and with Kim's house destroyed in the invasion, the only place that had a set for both of them was Ron's home. It had been a precaution that they had taken their freshman year in high school, considering how often they needed to take off on missions at a moment's notice. They had actually kept most of the spare sets at Kim's house, but since the Lorwardian invasion mechs had completely decimated the Possible household at the start of the attack, the only place to go was the Stoppable's place. It was only pure luck that they had stashed a single set of Kim's new mission wear at his place less than a week earlier. Normally, they would have immediately stocked several reserves of the clothes as soon as it was feasible, but since they normally left from her house, they hadn't really seen a need to completely resupply Ron's stash of each version of their mission wear.

Now, as they headed towards Ron's house, Kim began to wonder why neither of them had ever pressed the issue. More than that, what would happen if they were to go to different colleges, and be possibly hundreds or thousands of miles away from each other? Could they still make the going on missions work if they were on completely different schedules? Or would they be forced to stop a thing that had been theirs for so long, a special time that only they got to share and experience? Of course, if she were honest with herself, she had to admit it was more than just the missions that were special for both her and Ron. Practically half of their entire friendship/relationship had developed or been formed on the trips around the world that were so often a part of their missions. Facing the innumerable dangers had forged a bond that was stronger than any relationship she had ever experienced.

Why, if it hadn't been for those numerous adventures, Kim had to concede it was entirely possible that she and Ron Stoppable might never have gotten together. It was even entirely reasonable to assume she might have still been nursing that small torch she had once carried for one Josh Mankey. The very thought made her shudder with embarrassment at the major crush she had had on the guy who had been two grades ahead of her and Ron. Looking back, she realized that had been nothing more than a nonsensical infatuation with a guy that she really had very little in common with. Maybe it had been a case of opposites attract, or maybe it had just been a blind school girl lust. Whatever it had been, she now found herself relieved things had eventually ended with Josh, and even more excited that things had picked up with Ron. She shivered again, this time with a bit of the excitement that still crept in when she thought about Ron choosing her to be his girlfriend.

"You cold, KP?" Ron asked as he reached forward to turn down the car's air conditioner, then over to rub her shoulder.

"No, I'm fine," Kim replied. "Let's just get our gear and head to this meeting with Global Justice."

**+++  
~~ KP ~~  
+++**

Within thirty minutes they were changed and ready to go, heading for the coordinates Global Justice had specified. Wade had stayed back at his house, opting instead to join them via videoconferencing through the Kimmunicator's projection feature. However, when they arrived at their destination, Kim and Ron found themselves more than a little bit confused.

"Uh, KP, are you absolutely sure that this place is where Dr. Director said she wanted us to meet her?"

Ron scratched his head, staring up at the non-descript group of buildings situated in the fairly average business district of Go City. There was nothing at all special about the place, but if Ron had learned anything about this type of structure in their travels, it was that this sort of building was usually one of two things. Either it was a place that was a good idea to enter, and possibly chill out, or the choice to enter it could be a really bad one.

Before Kim could answer, however, a light blue garage door slid up in the front of one of the buildings. A figure stepped out, and his appearance immediately answered Ron's question. From the signature blue uniform to the trademark perpetual half-frown he always had on his face, there was no mistaking the man. If he was here, there was no question that they were at the exact location that they were supposed to be at for this meeting. And from the look on his face, it was obvious the man could not have been less thrilled that out of all the available agents, this assignment had been given, or rather, had fallen to him of all people. Dispensing with any and all pleasantries, as was his normal demeanor, Agent Will Du greeted the two teens.

"Miss Possible, Mr. Stoppable, please follow me. Dr. Director is waiting for us inside," he said matter-of-factly, indicating with his tone that he considered this type of job beneath a Global Justice agent of his caliber. He led them both through the garage, which closed as soon as they were through, almost as if it were itching to hide the inside of the building from the rest of the world outside. The path they were taking took them through a large room that looked for the entire world like a regular warehouse stock room. However, after they passed through the door on the other side, it became blatantly obvious that this building, and probably all the others in this particular group of outwardly plain buildings, was anything but ordinary.

The hallway they now found themselves in was clean and austere, both walls a perfectly unblemished mirror-chrome that reflected them for what seemed like miles to both the left and right. Forward, on the other hand, seemed to lead only to a dead end barely twenty feet from the door they had entered, although Will Du seemed perfectly oblivious to this fact. When they reached the end of the hallway, however, he paused for a bit, seemingly waiting on something. Both Kim and Ron looked around for scanners, cameras, or something to explain why they'd stopped in the end of this apparently dead-end corridor. But there wasn't even an outline of a vent or anything. Then they heard a voice come over what she could only assume was a hidden intercom.

"Everything checks out, Agent Du. They are who they say they are."

Agent Du pressed a button hidden in the sleeve of his shirt near the wrist. "Thank you. We are proceeding towards the conference level." Despite him saying this, however, both Kim and Ron took notice that there was no feeling of movement, nor were they resuming their walk into the complex.

"Uh, why aren't we moving?" Ron piped up after a few minutes.

Will looked back at them and pulled out a rare smirk. "We are moving. This is a zero-friction elevator. Something we picked up off of the wreckage of the Lorwardians' spacecraft."

His words were confirmed not a minute later as a door neither of the teens had noticed suddenly opened behind them, quickly dispelling the illusion that they were in a hallway. They turned around and heading through a door into a very large room. What they saw caught them both by surprise, and Ron's reaction to the sight easily expressed what they both feeling.

"Whoooooooaaaaa…" he let slowly pour from his mouth.

The room before them put to shame every other ops center for Global Justice they had ever seen. Everywhere they looked, they saw GJ agents working intently at computer screens containing various pieces of information and showing several views of locations around the world. Several of the screens Kim noticed showed wreckage still left over from the Lorwardian invasion. Evidently, the clean-up wasn't going as smoothly or as quickly as most operations Global Justice took part in. Kim surmised that it was possible that some of the world's criminal elements were hampering efforts, but even so it wouldn't normally take the agency a week to clean up the aftermath.

Agent Du must have noticed the look on her face, as he pulled her out of her thoughts when he interjected rather superiorly, "Surely, Miss Possible, you didn't assume that you and Dr. Drakken were the only ones hit early on in the attack?"

"Of course not," Kim replied, although she surprisingly had to admit to herself it was the first time she had contemplated that Warmonga and Warhok might have chosen other primary targets at the start of their invasion of Earth. She gave a quick glance over at Ron, who returned her covert "never actually thought about it" look with one almost as hidden…almost.

Will's expression told them he wasn't fooled. "We were hit hard enough in the first strike that we were unable to counter," he added disgustedly, a shadowy grimace crossing his face. Obviously the fact that the top-flight organization he was so proud to be part of had been rendered so completely helpless struck a major blow against Agent Du's pride.

Ron broke the uncomfortable silence that settled after only a few seconds. "So, uhh, why do you need us here?"

The man's grimace drifted towards a more dissatisfied smirk once more. "This way. Dr. Director wishes a special word with you considering the events of the past few days."

Heading towards the opposite side of the room, Will led the two teens into another hallway that Kim and Ron could only describe as being eerily similar to the halls of Middleton High. There were lockers on each side, and several doors spaced evenly about every fifteen to twenty lockers. After a few minutes and an indeterminable distance, he led them through one of the doors and into a conference room. Sitting inside at the table were three people, two of which had their backs to the door so that Kim and Ron couldn't see who they were. The third occupied seat was taken by a woman with an eye patch over her right eye. As they entered, she motioned to the other two to stay put for a minute, then rose and approached the two teens.

"Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. It's good to see you. Glad to see you're in relatively good shape after this week." Dr. Betty Director smiled at them, and extended her hand, which both Kim and Ron shook good-naturedly.

"Good to see you, too, Dr. Director," Ron replied.

"Same here," added Kim. "But what's this all about? You've got us both really confused right now."

The feeling was enhanced many times over when Will Du locked the door behind them. Was he locking them in, or everyone else out? Whatever it was, Kim's "weird-ar" was now going off at full strength.

Dr. Director nodded. "That's probably a good thing, Kim. It might make things a bit easier right now. To tell the truth, we aren't exactly sure how to proceed right now."

"You're stalling, Dr. Director," observed Kim.

"My thoughts, exactly, Princess." came a very familiar voice, one neither of the teens had ever expected to come from any Global Justice operations site, except maybe one containing some sort of a specialized prison cell. The seat closest to them spun around, and a green glow was immediately visible.

"Shego!" Ron gasped.

Kim was just as surprised to see the older woman sitting there, and immediately dropped into a combat stance. "What are you two doing here?"

From the other chair came the voice that belonged to the person who could normally be found pretty close to Shego. "Nnnngg…how did you know I was here, too?"

Ron laughed a bit, although there was a slight nervousness to it that he hid well. "Like Shego'd go anywhere near here without you in tow."

Drakken slowly turned his chair to face the two teens. His blue skin looked both pale with nervousness and bright with optimism at the same time. The small flower on a vine that protruded from his neck, which was now evidently going to be a permanent part of him, seemed to be waving casually at the teens as well as at the others in the room. When he spoke, it was with a false confidence that anyone could have seen through. "I'll have you know, buffoon, that I was not 'in tow'. I came here right beside Shego and of my own free will."

"Even after all this, you still can't remember my name." Ron balked. "Wait…of your own free will?"

Kim too was a bit taken aback by that revelation. "You two are here because you wanted to be?" She relaxed her stance a bit, trying to take everything in.

Shego blew upwards at her hair a bit, even though there were no strands in her face to blow at. "Yes, Kimmie. We are here because we chose to be. No other way they could get us here." The woman smirked, and Kim noticed she was casually tossing a small green and black fire/plasma ball, approximately the size of a small marble, from hand to hand. Apparently she hadn't brought along that nail file for her gloves that she always seemed to carry. Either that, or she for once felt that the metal claws on her gloves were sharp enough. Whatever the reason, it appeared that although coming here had been Shego's idea, she was quickly growing bored with the waiting they had obviously been doing.

"What do you say we speed this up, Doc? We've got other things to do, you know?"

Dr. Director had an odd look on her face, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. That, or she wouldn't. Finally, she replied with, "Very well. Kim, Ron, if you will both have a seat. We have some things we need to discuss about the recent attack."

Kim and Ron both took a seat on the opposite side of the table from Drakken and Shego, neither of them trusting the two who until a few weeks ago had never shown any sign of ever doing anything for the side of good. Well, unless you counted those times involving Hench Co.'s Attitudinator, but both of those incidents rated about a 10.5 on the teens' weirdness scales. Besides that, the personality switching device had been destroyed shortly after Shego had been reverted back to evil.

Dr. Director reclaimed her seat at the head of the table, and began leafing through a rather large file on the table. "As you are no doubt well aware by now, you five are the only ones who were witness to the majority of the battle with the…'Lorwardians', was it?"

Shego immediately cut in. "Whoa, whoa, time out there. There're only four of us here. Not five." The villainess did little to hide her snarky retort, seemingly enjoying the fact that she was able to point out a flaw in the observations of the head of Global Justice.

Dr. Director merely paused, looked up for a mere second, and then motioned with her head towards Kim and Ron. When Shego failed to get the hint, she did it again. Shego lazily looked over towards the teens, expecting to see the mole rat that always seemed to accompany them. Instead, she found herself slightly shocked to see that young tech genius who kept Team Possible geared and prepped sitting there as though he'd been there the whole time. She was about to say something when she noticed a faint static to his outline, and immediately figured out what was going on. Evidently, Kim had set up the larger version of her little electronic device to project a holo-image of the boy, and he was joining the meeting that way. Shego quietly sat back in her seat, feeling just slightly embarrassed at her blunder…but only slightly.

Dr. Director cleared her throat and continued. "As I was saying, the people attending this meeting, other than myself, are the only ones who know what happened during that battle, especially during the final minutes. Mr. Load here had the only working means of electronic observation on the entire planet at the time, and was able to record the majority of it. All other means of communication were either destroyed or knocked out. Therefore, I need to go over with you what happened from the time the aliens' main ship was taken out to the end of the fight."

She paused, and eyed the two teens with a concerned intensity they'd rarely seen her use.

"Of particular interest to Global Justice and our counterparts around the world are the events that transpired from the time that Miss Possible was apparently knocked out of the fight until the end of the conflict when the invaders were dispatched by either Kim or Shego, thus ending the threat."

Kim was puzzled for a moment before it dawned on her…Global Justice had no knowledge of Ron's Monkey Kung Fu skills! They were also unawares that it had been he, not her or Shego, that had confronted and thus defeated Warmonga and Warhok. She immediately shot Shego a look of hidden worry, one that the older woman returned quickly, although Shego's contained surprise instead of worry. How was it that Global Justice, an organization that had their eyes on Kim and Ron, following the teens' missions since their first one to help Mr. Paisley, had no information on Ron's Tai Sheng Pek Kwar, the power of Monkey Kung Fu?

Kim looked at her boyfriend, who was somehow managing to keep a completely normal face on. He turned to her and smiled, then resumed looking at the director. For some reason, this wasn't surprising him in the least. Either it was that, or the fact that the shock of G.J. not knowing his secret had yet to have its inevitable effect on him. Whatever it was, Kim was glad for his strength at the moment, as it made it easier for her to control her own nervousness.

And furthermore, how had Wade been able to observe the fight? Kim shot his hologram a look, and the return was one that simply said, _I'll explain it to you later_. Oh, she'd make sure of that, especially if he was going to tell her what she thought he was going to tell her. She'd warned him about it many times, and if he'd actually done it, she wanted to know why…

Dr. Director could tell something was up, although she wasn't the one to break the obvious tension in the room. That dubious honor went to the only blue-skinned person in the room.

"What do you mean, Kim Possible or Shego? Shego, you told me…OUCH!" Drakken stopped mid-sentence and glared at Shego, who had obviously kicked him under the table.

Kim quickly threw an appreciative glance at the older woman, who merely smiled back with a gleam in her eye. Even though Shego didn't say it, the message came through completely loud and clear.

_You two owe me one, Princess._

Finally, Will Du, who had been standing by the door, could stand the suspense no longer. "Dr. Director, if I may…" he started, taking a few steps into the room.

"No, Will, you may not," replied Dr. Director with a bit of edge.

It was the first time Kim and Ron had ever heard her admonish one of her agents. They both noticed a glare in her good eye, and were startled that for the first time they could actually see some resemblance between the head of Global Justice and her twin brother, Gemini, the head of the Worldwide Evil Empire. It shocked the teens just a bit. However, just as quickly as it had come, the look disappeared, and Dr. Director returned to her normal serious look.

Will started to reassert his stance, but evidently thought better of it. He resumed his post by the door and glanced out the window, apparently looking to see if anyone was listening.

Apparently satisfied that the interruption was over, the director returned her gaze to the four people and one hologram seated at the table. Again the tension started to mount, and finally Kim could take it no longer, although she did her best to remain professional about the matter, lest her nerves give something away.

"Why don't you tell us what you know, and we'll fill in the gaps," she offered with a smile.

"Very well," answered Dr. Director. The look on her face easily conveyed that she knew she might not get the whole truth, but her mannerism seemed to indicate that she'd be happy with anything at this point. She cleared her throat and began.

"What we know is that shortly after your escape from the ship, this group split apart. Shego and Dr. Drakken headed for their former lair, presumably to retrieve his…" She looked at the file, "Hi-Pollinator Mutagen before returning to the fight. During this time, Team Possible engaged the aliens in what can only be described as a twin-aerial duel. Shortly thereafter, Shego and Drakken returned to the conflict, and Drakken proceeded to spray his mutagen on the invading aliens' attack machines. This led to the assault mechs being knocked out of commission. At this point, Kim took out the male alien's flight capabilities, while Shego took out the female's craft. Both beings ended up entangled in vines. Everything correct so far?"

The four nodded, although Drakken raised his hand slightly. "Umm…you are aware that I didn't see anything from this point until after it was over, aren't you? I was busy rounding up and taking out the remaining mechs."

Dr. Director stared at him for a moment, and then made a note about it in the file. "No, we were not, but thank you for that information."

Shego looked at him, and Kim could swear she saw a bit of surprised admiration pass over that pale green face. "Wait, wait, so you weren't just flying around aimlessly?"

Drakken smiled a bit. "Well, you were fighting against Warmonga and Warhok, and I…I just didn't want them to be able to pull a surprise attack on you, Shego. That's all."

Shego blushed slightly, apparently touched at what he'd done and why.

Kim and Ron looked at each other with surprised looks on their faces. _Shego had blushed?_ They had never so much as seen her display even a hint of attraction towards Drakken. Well, unless you counted the whole Moodulators thing and his award ceremony at the U.N., but both of those they had chalked up to extenuating circumstances. The Moodulators mission/fiasco had done the same number on Shego that it had on Kim, while the teens had chalked up Shego's reaction to Drakken's vine at the awards ceremony as her being caught in the moment. Shego had vehemently denied any attraction to her employer when the Lorwardians had teased her about it, but maybe there was something there. She'd certainly stuck by Drakken through tough times, and you didn't do that without a good reason.

Dr. Director saw the same exchange, but passed over it as nothing, intent on continuing the discussion of the attack. She cleared her throat for attention, and resumed her reading.

"Believing the battle to be over, Kim and Ron stated that they needed to graduate before something else happened. However, the male alien…Warhok, was it...escaped from the vines and caught Shego with a surprise blow, knocking her temporarily out of the fight. Ron then attacked him, and was easily repelled into Kim, knocking her temporarily out of the fight as well. Warhok then freed Warmonga from the vines, and picked up Kim, intending to claim her as a trophy."

She set down the file, and looked for a moment at Ron, then Kim, and finally at Shego. When she resumed speaking, it was with a calm seriousness.

"It is at this point that Wade's surveillance experienced a problem with the recording equipment, and from here is where we need the three of you to fill in what happened. We are aware that approximately one minute later, a red twister formed around the battle, and shortly thereafter Warhok and Warmonga were somehow launched into the wreckage of their crashing spaceship, destroying all three. However, from the time Warhok picked up Kim until approximately two and a half minutes later, there is gap in the footage taken of the battle. Wade was able to correct the problem with his equipment at this point, and the first thing recorded after that are Kim and Ron breaking a hug and each of the four of you asking if the others are okay."

Kim looked at Ron, then at Shego. She found herself almost wishing they had planned this somewhat. Kim didn't know if Shego was aware of it, but there was more at stake here than just Ron's preferred "fly-under-the-radar" way of living. If word got out about Ron's abilities, it wouldn't just expose him, but also everything connected with him and Tai Sheng Pek Kwar. Hana, the Lotus Blade, the Yamanouchi School, Sensei, Yori, Hirotaka...…all of it would instantly become the subject of Global Justice's scrutiny. And while Kim knew that G.J. wouldn't intentionally put any of those things or people in immediate danger, it would make them more open to it. Whether Dr. Director liked to admit it or not, Global Justice dealt with enemy infiltration at all times, and something of this magnitude would certainly catch the eye of those wishing to go against the worldwide spy network. No, the less people that knew about those things, the better.

Somehow, they had to get through this without revealing anything about Ron's Monkey Kung Fu. Kim quickly began going over exactly what she needed to say to avoid mentioning it. She looked over at Shego, and was impressed to see that apparently she was doing the same thing. For whatever reason, Shego didn't appear too keen to reveal the whole truth about what had happened either. Kim allowed herself an inward smile as she suddenly realized the probable reason for the villainess's discomfort with divulging a true account of what had transpired.

For her part, Shego was racking her brain in attempt to come up with a story that seemed plausible enough and had enough credibility that it would be taken as truth by Global Justice. Not only that, but she knew they also had to find a way to cover that mysterious red swirl that the Princess's sidekick had conjured just before he'd taken out the Lorwardians. But besides that, Shego also had her own future to consider. She had always prided herself on her status as one of the toughest, fiercest fighters on the planet, and the events that had taken place during the final minutes of the battle could be very damaging to her reputation. If anyone were to find out that she had been groggy on the sidelines from Warhok's sucker-punch while Kim Possible's goofy sidekick had been taking on both Warhok and Warmonga by himself, things would go very sour for Shego's image very quickly. The entire villain world knew what a buffoon the guy was, and if it were known he'd upstaged her, she'd be the laughing stock of the criminal underworld.

However, before either Kim or Shego could begin, Ron spoke up.

"Dr. Director, if you want the truth about what happened, I can tell you. It was me. I took them out."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N

Chapter 2 is up. Questions are answered, but not necessarily in the way everyone likes.

What does Ron have planned, and what does it mean for the future of the relationship between him and Kim? And how do Drakken and Shego play into this? Furthermore, why is Dr. Director so interested in what happened with the Lorwardians?

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

"Dr. Director, if you want the truth about what happened, I can tell you. It was me. I took them out."

Shego and Kim both stared at Ron, one with surprise, the other with shock. Looking at them, however, revealed little about who was showing what. However, they both found themselves staring intently at him, wondering what he was going to say next.

Ron took a deep breath, and then continued. "But before I tell you, I need to use a restroom. Had a Grande-sized Slurpster on our way over here, and I get the feeling we're going to be here a while." He laughed nervously, expecting Dr. Director to deny his request outright.

However, she surprised him. "Actually, that sounds like a good idea. I think we all need to take a bit of a break." She motioned for Will Du to unlock the door, and then called for someone to show Drakken, Shego, and the teens to the nearest restrooms.

"You okay if I leave the Kimmunicator here, Wade?" Kim hated it, but there wasn't much she could do.

"I'm fine, Kim. Promise. I'll just take a break here, and let you know if anything comes up while you're away. Just take this headset with you so we can keep in touch."

At that, a small Bluetooth headset popped out of the side of the regular-sized Kimmunicator, a feature that Kim had never known it had. She picked it up and slipped it on, pleasantly surprised that it was a perfect fit with no pinch on her ear or anything. However, she was more surprised that she immediately heard Wade's voice in her ear while his hologram merely smiled at her.

"Kim, don't react to this. The Holo-Wade is on a recording loop so I can talk to you without arousing suspicion from Dr. Director or Global Justice. If Ron is planning what I think he's planning, he knows what he's doing. Trust him, he can handle this." Somehow, Wade seemed to be following what was going on with relative ease.

Kim, on the other hand, was completely lost. Unless Ron had somehow knocked her unconscious during the ride over here and made a detour without her knowing, they'd gone straight to his house to change into their mission gear, and then come straight to the rendezvous point from his house. They hadn't made a single stop anywhere, so there was no way he could have managed to snag a Slurpster of any size that morning. For one of the few times in her life, Kim found herself unable to follow Ron's train of thought. Just what was he up to?

As they were led down the hallways, Shego managed to get up right next to Kim. "So, Kimmie, what's the sidekick got up his sleeve?" she asked in low tones.

Kim looked at the mint-green-skinned woman, still slightly unnerved to be walking this close to one of her most dangerous foes without fighting her. "To be honest, Shego, I haven't got a clue," Kim whispered. "Ron's got me completely stumped here, and I'm his girlfriend. He'd better be careful what he tells them, though. There's a lot more at stake here than just his quiet lifestyle."

Shego looked passed Drakken, who was in front of them, to stare at Ron's back with a look that was somehow perplexed and knowing at the same time. "This has something to do with that school in Japan, doesn't it?" she finally said after a bit.

Kim almost walked into Drakken in shock, but recovered quickly. "You know about Yamanouchi? How'd you find out about it?"

Shego grinned a bit. "Monkey Fist talked about it all the time at villain gatherings before you guys trapped him in that stone encasement," she said nonchalantly. Then she added, "What? Like you didn't talk with your school friends about your missions?"

"Actually, I didn't that much. At least not with that many people and certainly not with everyone." Kim was just slightly unnerved at the idea that there was a villain social network that had apparently been talking about her, Ron and their missions and adventures. "Maybe Monique, but that's only because she's my best friend. But it wasn't common knowledge like you're talking about."

This time Shego couldn't suppress a laugh. "Really…well, hate to break it to you, Kimmie, but you two are quite often the talk of the moment when we get together. It's always 'Team Possible foiled me' this, or 'I almost had Team Possible' that. Gets kind of old after a while, but sometimes it leads to some interesting stuff. Ever wonder how some of us caught you so easily those few times? It was because another villain had come close to it, told us, and we modified what they did. To tell the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if you end up dealing with another villain's version of Eric one of these days."

Kim shook her head. Eric had been the name given to Synthodrone 901. He had shown up at Middleton High Kim and Ron's junior year, right before the prom and during the whole Lil' Diablo mess. Drakken had modified and enhanced the "android" (if that's what you called those things) with personality and performance upgrades so that it looked like and sounded like normal teenage boy. He'd then set Eric up in Middleton High with the sole purpose of exploiting her insecurities about boys and dating, while at the same time Eric had been keeping her distracted so she couldn't focus on figuring out Drakken's latest scheme for world conquest. The result was that Drakken had very nearly succeeded. Even worse, was that Kim had even realized Eric was a Synthodrone until he had revealed it to her right before knocking her out. It had been one of the lowest points of her life when it hit her shortly after waking up exactly what Eric was and what that had meant about their "relationship." Because of that, she had almost given up the hero business forever, and it was only Ron's intervention and revelation of his feelings for her that had pulled out of that. She smiled as she looked at Ron walking ahead of them…

Wait…Ron! He was up to something, and unless she wanted to take a chance at ruining his plan, Kim needed to find out what was up. She also needed to do it with enough time to let Shego in on the plan. Doing her best to not draw attention to what she was doing, she quickly made her way up to walk next to her boyfriend. He was staring straight ahead, and there was a slightly glazed look to his eyes, as if he were focusing intently on something. Cautiously, so as not to spook him, Kim slipped her hand into his. Ron seemed to come out of his trance for a minute, and looked over at her with a smile on his face.

As Ron smiled at his girlfriend, he looked deeply into her eyes. It was then that the smile disappeared from his face. Something about the way Kim was looking at him seemed out of place. There were very few times he'd seen her look at him so uncertainly. In fact, he could only think of one time he'd ever seen her look so unsure: during the battle with the Lorwardians, when she'd admitted to him that she was scared about the future just as much as he was. There was also a question in her eyes, one he'd certainly not expected.

_What's going on?_

That's when it hit him that Kim had no idea what was happening. For some reason, he had assumed they'd have the same idea, and if not, that she'd pick up on what he was doing by taking this break. He looked at her and smiled, squeezing her hand lightly. His smile got even wider when she smiled back at him. She still had that questioning look in her eyes, though. He nodded his understanding, and then mouthed a single word as clearly as he could and still keep it hidden from the Global Justice Agents escorting them.

_Sensei_.

When Kim saw it, it immediately hit her just exactly what was about to occur. Ron was going to contact Sensei, or at least try contacting him. To the best of Kim's knowledge, the connection via Sensei's astral projection only worked one way. As far as she was aware, Sensei had to contact Ron for the connection to work. It had never worked the other way around, and if it had, Ron hadn't said a word about it to her.

Still, if there was a single person to ask whether or not it would be wise to let Global Justice in on the secret of Ron's abilities in Tai Sheng Pek Kwar, it was the man who seemed to know more about it than anyone. Ever since Ron had first met Sensei on his first trip to Yamanouchi, the wizened old master had proved an invaluable source for answers to any questions the young man may have had about the mystical powers that filled him. And with the arrival of Hana, Master Sensei had become an even more invaluable font of information. He was the perfect person to ask about this.

Kim couldn't believe she hadn't realized immediately what Ron had planned out. Wade had been right—she just needed to trust that Ron could handle it. She nodded her comprehension, smiling at her boyfriend's ingenuity and apparent foresight. He certainly had become more mature this past year, and she knew it wasn't entirely her influence. Ron was becoming the man he would eventually turn into, and Kim found herself falling more and more in love with him. She squeezed his hand just as they reached the restrooms, and nodded as she and Shego headed into the ladies room.

Noticing that the agents hadn't followed them in, Kim quickly looked at Shego. "Ron's gonna try and contact Sensei over at Yamanouchi."

"What, you mean the old guy who speaks in all those odd philosophy sayings?" Obviously, Monkey Fist hadn't spared much in his descriptions of Yamanouchi. But at least, Kim conceded, Shego hadn't taken to calling Sensei "that old relic" as the now stone-encased Fist had.

"Sensei happens to be the top authority on the Mystical Monkey Power, as well as the key to everything that ties into it. He teaches at Yamanouchi, personally trains both Yori and Hirotaka, arranged for the Stoppable's adoption of his little sister Hana, and is the current keeper of the Lotus Blade that can only be used by someone proficient in Tai Sheng Pek Kwar."

Shego huffed as she washed her hands. "Yeah, whatever, Princess. I just hope the goofball knows what he's doing."

**+++  
~~ KP ~~  
+++**

Meanwhile, over in the men's restroom, Ron was having mixed luck as well. Although he was pretty sure he could focus enough Mystical Monkey Power to contact Sensei if he could get a single moment's peace, around Drakken that was proving impossible. Even as Ron sat there on the bench in the bathroom, attempting to tap into the astral powers he'd seen Sensei use, the older man kept up his constant bugging.

"Alright, buffoon, what exactly are you trying to do? And why are Shego, Miss Possible, and you trying to hide that you were the one who defeated Warmonga and Warhok?"

"Dude, it's not just me and the monkey powers they don't know about. There's a lot more going on here than you realize."

"Oh, really? And just what is so secret that you can't tell me what's going on but can tell Shego?"

"Honestly, I can't tell anyone anything if you don't give me a moment to focus so I can contact Sensei."

"Sensei? Who is that?"

"Seriously, Dr. D., I really only need, like one minute, and then I can give you some more answers."

Drakken studied the young man for a minute. "Nnnngg, fine." He then retreated to the far side of the bench and sat in a pose that comically reminded Ron of Auguste Rodin's _The Thinker_. Drakken muttered to himself for a minute about "know-it-all-teens" and then fell silent.

As soon as the silence came, Ron resumed his attempts at expanding his mind. He'd attempted this before, and could never seem to push his consciousness across the oceans on either side of the United States. Apparently it took more focus to cross over water than it did land. But something was different this time, and Ron began to wonder if his own astral projection attempts might possibly be strengthened by how urgent the situation appeared in his own mind. Slowly, he felt it beginning to work, and could start to see the world passing before him as if he were flying in a plane.

As he reached the California coast, he began to focus even harder on his destination. This time he didn't hit the "wall" that always seemed to block his thoughts, and instead continued to feel as if he were flying. After a few seconds that passed like hours later, Ron began to see the four islands of Japan. Focusing even more intently, he willed his astral self towards the peak of Mount Yamanouchi and the Yamanouchi School. At last, he found his consciousness floating above the secret ninja training facility. Without another moment's hesitation, he projected himself towards Sensei's room.

* * *

The elder master of Yamanouchi had just finished preparing himself for the 4:00 AM wake up call for his students, and had been about to head out of his room when he was surprised by a sight he had not expected to see for many years. There before him, though much more blurry than his own uses of projection, was the astral form of one Ron Stoppable. However, he maintained his serenity as was his nature.

"Stoppable-san, you honor me with your presence. And I am proud to see you using abilities that I had thought beyond you. Please forgive my error in judgment," the wizened man said with a bow.

Ron nodded. "Sensei, I wish I could say this was a social call, but we have a major problem. Global Justice wants to know what happened with the Lorwardians, and I'm going to have to tell them what happened."

Sensei merely stroked his beard in thought. "I understand. And you cannot simply tell them that it was Kim Possible who defeated them?"

The young man's head drooped slightly. "No, I kind of already told them I did it. And now they want to know how."

Sensei said nothing for a few moments, then looked at Ron's projection with what Ron could only assume was pride.

"I see, Stoppable-san. You acted as your heart told you, and now you wish to know how much more you must listen to it. This is no cause for shame. But before I give counsel, I must know how you feel towards Global Justice in your soul. Do you trust them? All of them?"

Ron took a deep breath. "Most of them, yes. But I can't promise there aren't some of their agents who are playing both sides."

Sensei nodded again. "You wish to avoid an incident like the one we experienced here at Yamanouchi with Fukushima."

"Yes, there is that. But there's also the fact that when GJ learns of something new they think they can use to fight evil, they sometimes over-research it. I'm afraid that if I tell them about the Mystical Monkey Power, then I have to reveal everything else, too. I'll have to tell them about Yamanouchi, you, Yori, Hirotaka, Hana, the whole works. And then it won't be secret anymore."

If Sensei was bothered by this, he didn't show it. "I see. The greatest secret in the world is only secret as long as only one person at a time learns of it."

Ron couldn't believe that he thought he actually understood one of Sensei's mystical wordings. "So you're saying that I should tell only Dr. Betty Director, and then let her decide who to tell?"

The old master grinned and bowed. "Someone who also knows the situation might help as well, Stoppable-san. Ask for Agent Tomoe Shioda to be involved in the discussion. She is a graduate of Yamanouchi, and as an agent of Global Justice will know better how to proceed. As soon as you see her, merely ask her 'How are the cherry blossoms back home?' She will reply, 'Fully in bloom,' and will guide you from there."

Ron's eyes got wide as saucers. "You've got graduates working for Global Justice?"

Sensei merely smiled. "Good luck, Stoppable-san. And do as your heart tells you, for the heart is the one thing that cannot deviate from what you truly feel you must do."

Though confused, Ron nodded a bow, and his astral projection faded from the room.

As it did, Sensei allowed a slight worry to cross his face. Soon the young warrior would face possibly the most difficult mission he had yet to undertake in his young life. Though he wanted to help Stoppable-san, the wizened old teacher knew that any aid he might give the young man would only hurt Ron's chances of succeeding. And this trial was going to be one that must not be failed, or else the world would soon suffer the consequences.

At that moment, two young ninja walked through the doors of his chamber. In all his many years of teaching at Yamanouchi, no one but Stoppable-san had ever shown as much promise as the young woman and young man now present before him. He smiled at them as they stood there in their newly-earned Yamanouchi graduate uniforms. They were young, but time was short, and Sensei knew they were ready for this.

"I have a few very special missions for the two of you. Ones that you must complete together." At the young woman's apparent discomfort with this order, he added, "Two reeds working together will make each other stronger than one alone."

He held out two scrolls. "You will find the details here. Prepare quickly, for you must depart soon. A great evil I have long thought gone will soon return, and we must be ready."

The two young ninja bowed, accepted the scrolls, and left.

* * *

Back at Global Justice, Ron came out of his trance to find a blurry image of Dr. Drakken hovering a mere half a foot from his nose and waving a hand in his face.

"GAAHH!"

"YEEAAUUGH!" came the older man's shrill reply.

"Dude, do you mind!" Ron asked as he took a few deep breaths to bring himself back to normal status. It always took a little bit out of him even when he was unsuccessful at attempting astral projection. This time he'd been able to get it to actually work, and although it had been unfocused, it had still taken more than the usual out of him. As his senses came back into focus, he noticed for the first time that the agent standing outside of the restroom had started to knock on the door.

"Mr. Stoppable, Mr. Lipsky, Dr. Director is asking that we resume the meeting soon."

The agent sounded impatient. As Ron and Drakken exited the restroom, they found both the girls and the two agents waiting. All four were standing there with impatient looks on their faces. Well, the agents looked impatient. Kim and Shego both had anxious looks on their faces, as if they'd expected Ron to come out of the bathroom much sooner and looking much more certain. First it was simply Drakken, and now both the women had that uncertainty in their eyes. Just how long had Ron's astral projection meeting with Sensei taken?

As they walked back through the halls, Ron felt Kim come up by his side. Her hand slipped into his and squeezed again. He looked at her and smiled. Although the worry was no longer present there, her eyes again held the same, single question.

_What's going on?_

Kim frowned a bit when Ron merely smiled again. Slowly he pulled his hand out of hers, and quickly put his arm around her shoulder. He pulled her close, much closer than he normally did. At first she felt awkward, but then she noticed where he was guiding her head. Though he was doing it very slowly, he seemed to be leading her ear closer to his mouth. Then he whispered two phrases that always calmed her down.

"I love you, KP. Trust me."

Prior to the two of them dating he had always said it, and thus Kim had always taken it, as coming from a very close friend. But since they had started dating, it had taken on a much deeper meeting. Now it was a promise between the two of them, from Ron to her. It meant that he had everything under control and he knew it. What made it even more special was that he never used it unless he was absolutely one hundred percent sure of all factors. As such, it always made Kim feel safe and protected, as well as having the rather pleasant side effect of turning her insides to warm goo.

Once they returned to the door to the conference room, however, the feeling quickly disappeared. Though this was the second time they had entered this chamber, there was definitely a different feeling to the place. Last time, Kim had been unsure what was going to happen inside, but Ron had been joining her in her uncertainty then. Now he seemed so certain of what was about to occur, and Kim felt very alone in her worry. While she trusted Ron's belief that he had this under control, this wasn't just some simple situation. This was Dr. Betty Director, a sharp woman who was the head of Global Justice and one of the best interrogators Kim had ever met.

"Well then, let us resume where we left off. Mr. Stoppable, you say you were the one to defeat the Lorwardians?" Dr. Director had her one good eye fixed on Ron, and seemed to be looking for anything that might tell her something was amiss.

Ron, however, didn't appear fazed. "That's right, but I need to speak to more than just you, I'm afraid."

An eyebrow rose above an eye patch. "Really? You do realize the fewer people we have hear this, the better, right?"

"Affirmative, Dr. Director. However, I have been advised that a certain agent needs to hear this."

"You were _advised_? Who was this advisor?" When Ron remained silent, "Alright, who?"

Ron steeled his gaze, and looked at her with firm resolve. "We need Agent Tomoe Shioda to be present before I can tell you."

Dr. Director's mouth made a few odd motions, as if she were debating whether or not to allow Ron his request. Kim could tell there were wheels turning in the woman's head, and it worried her. Although Dr. Director had seemed surprised that it was Ron who had taken out the aliens and stopped the invasion, Kim had a sneaking suspicion that the female spy knew more about this than she was letting on. Or maybe Ron's asking for Agent Shioda had finally revealed a missing piece to a puzzle that had been creeping around in the Global Justice leader's mind. Whatever it was, Kim had a very edgy feeling creeping up her neck, and it was making her feel very concerned for what the next few minutes held for her boyfriend.

Shego seemed to pick up on the nervousness emanating from the head of the table. "What's wrong, Miss Director? The sidekick's request got you rattled?"

Dr. Director let out an exasperated sigh, then motioned to Will Du. "Bring in Agent Shioda."

Will scowled, but nodded and left the room. A few minutes later, there was an agitated knock at the door. Agent Du re-entered, this time in the company of a tall, young Japanese beauty. It immediately struck Kim just how similar this woman looked to Hirotaka, the Japanese exchange student who had come to Middleton while Ron had been at Yamanouchi. If she was his sister, it was entirely possible she was also a graduate of the secret ninja school. Could this be what Ron had up his sleeve? A Yamanouchi sleeper agent?

Drakken was the first to speak. "Who is she?"

Agent Shioda bowed respectfully. "Agent Tomoe Shioda, Global Justice. Miss Possible. Mr. Stoppable. It is an honor to finally meet you. I have heard many great things about you, and have also studied many recordings of your missions and adventures."

Ron smiled. "Nice to meet you as well. How are the cherry blossoms back home?"

Kim, who had been about to greet the young woman as well, stopped and blinked in surprise. Ron had a penchant for asking odd questions at even odder times, but this one had to be, if not the most bizarre, in the top five at least.

Agent Shioda, however, simply smiled. "Fully in bloom. Beautiful as always. You remember them from your trip to Japan, yes?"

Ron nodded and extended his hand. Had her eyes not been trained from the many years of missions, Kim would have missed the slip of paper that slipped between them during the handshake. She also noticed that they did this while Dr. Director had her head turned to the right, meaning that her good eye was turned away. It was almost as if it had been rehearsed…or maybe planned!

Suddenly, Kim understood. Even if she wasn't Hirotaka's older sister, Tomoe Shioda was indeed a graduate of Yamanouchi. Sensei had set this whole thing up! Ron's odd question had been a signal, and somehow, Agent Shioda was going to help in the revealing of Ron's Mystical Monkey Power. Kim allowed herself a slight breath of relief. She reached over and squeezed Ron's hand, indicating she understood.

Then, realizing that Dr. Director, Will Du, or maybe both, might pick up on the gesture, she quickly said, "Ron, I think Dr. Director wants to get back to discussing the Lorwardian attack."

Ron nodded, while at the same time he squeezed Kim's hand in response. It was good to know that she was on board with what was going on, or at the very least had figured out parts of it. Something about knowing things that Kim didn't had always bothered him, and Ron had never figured out why. Whether it was merely his cooking skills, the trips involving Yamanouchi before she had been clued in, or this particular instance, it had never sat right with him when Kim was out of the loop. Now she was, and it bolstered his confidence tenfold.

"Ahem," interrupted the Global Justice head. "Kim is right, Ron. We need to get back to the matter at hand. Please everyone, take your seats. Agent Shioda, you will take the seat between me and Mr. Stoppable."

Once everyone was seated again, Dr. Director immediately fixed Ron with a steely gaze. "Now what exactly do you mean by saying you 'took them out,' Mr. Stoppable?"

Ron took a deep breath, and stole a quick glance at Agent Shioda that both Kim and Shego barely saw, and each felt as though she was the only one who saw it. Dr. Director didn't see that; however, she did see the small, barely perceptible nod that her agent gave in response.

"What I mean, Dr. Director, is that I engaged them in combat because they had temporarily knocked both Kim and Shego out of the fight. They were threatening Kim, and I just sort of lost it. I challenged Warhok, and I beat him. Then Warmonga joined in, and I took them both on. In that instant, I realized I'd have to take them out to stop them. So to defeat them, I had to throw them into their ship."

Dr. Director eyed him with a slight shock on her face. "Those two managed to take down the entire planet's defenses before we even realized we'd been hit. And then proceeded to incapacitate, even if temporarily, the two greatest fighters I have ever met. So tell me, how did you pull off what has to be the most astonishing comeback I've ever heard of?"

When Ron remained quiet, Agent Shioda raised her hand. "Actually, Dr. Director, I believe I may be the better person to explain that. There are things at play here that you are not aware of. Things that Stoppable-san does not know how you will handle, therefore he feels uneasy about divulging the details. Correct, Stoppable-san?"

Ron nodded. "She's right, Dr. Director. There are things you may or may not know about me. And if you don't, I don't know what you'll do with the information when you do find out."

Dr. Director looked at Agent Shioda with a look of knowing. "So I was right, Tomoe. You are a graduate of that secret school in Japan that sits atop Mt. Yamanouchi."

The agent merely bowed in response. "Sensei and I apologize for deceiving you, but we know that there are double-agents in Global Justice, and therefore my involvement with the Yamanouchi academy had to be kept secret."

The G.J. head looked both outraged and betrayed. "And what gave you the idea that we would allow anything bad to come of that information if you had revealed it to us?"

Kim held her angered disbelief in for only a second, just long enough to calm herself down to the point that she didn't yell at a person she had come to think of as a friend. There was already enough tension over the issue, and adding to it would only make this sitch harder to deal with. And judging by what she was seeing, Kim could tell this meeting wasn't going to end pleasantly. Still, she couldn't hold back her tongue when she finally did allow herself to speak, or keep the fire of supreme annoyance out of her eyes.

"Because your research into the 'Ron Factor' led to my boyfriend being captured by your evil twin brother and his Worldwide Evil Empire. Thanks to your 'good intentions', he was put into unnecessary danger that, while he survived relatively unharmed, could have ended really badly. And in that instance, he was the only one you were investigating. What will happen to all the people involved in this if you get the details you are looking for?"

Even Shego and Drakken were surprised at the bite and venom behind Kim's outburst. Drakken shrank into his chair a little, because he'd seen full well what this anger could do, especially during the Diablo scheme. Shego, on the other hand, felt just a twinge of excitement: finally, Kimmie was showing some fangs. The green-skinned woman gave a sneering smile.

"Sounds like the Princess doesn't trust you on this, Dr. Director."

The Global Justice leader gritted her teeth. "I want some answers here, and I need them as well. Do you realize what will happen if I don't get them here? My superiors will replace me with someone who can, and I can guarantee they won't ask for the answers. They will take them, by force if necessary. I'm not trying to threaten you, I'm trying to help. But I can't do that if you don't help me."

Will Du, who up to this point had kept quiet, spoke up in her defense. "Trust me on this. If the rumors are true, the one who replaces her as the head will make Warhok look like Mahatma Gandhi."

Agent Shioda looked at Ron again, this time making no attempt to hide the exchange. "Stoppable-san, I think we must tell her what she needs to know. She would not bring this up if the situation were not extremely grave."

Ron looked at Kim. "What do you think, KP?"

Kim stared at the one good eye of the woman she had respected so much for her calmness in serious situations , and saw the complete opposite: a gripping agitation complemented with dire nervousness.

"I don't think we have to many options, Ron."

From the opposite side of the table, Drakken perked up. "Finally. I've wanted to know what makes the buffoon so great all of a sudden."

Shego also had a look of unusual interest. "Yes, tell us what makes you so special?"

Ron took a deep breath to calm himself. "I have special skill in the art of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar."

Dr. Director nodded her understanding. "You mean Monkey Kung Fu? The art that Lord Monty Fiske, a.k.a. Monkey Fist, studied?"

The young man nodded. "Yeah, but there's a reason both he and I are so good at it. Thanks to some ancient monkey-idol artifacts, some of which he had Kim retrieve for him, we were both endowed with Mystical Monkey Power. It gives you extreme and immediate proficiency in the fighting style. Unfortunately…"

Agent Shioda interrupted slightly at this point. "Unfortunately for Monkey Fist, he was never meant to have the power or touch the idols. As a result, it drove him to madness, to the point that he was obsessed with anything monkey-related. He eventually found a prophecy that alluded to a 'Monkey Master,' and believed that it was referring to him. However, it referred to Stoppable-san, but we could not tell him."

"We?" The eyebrow above the eye-patch was once again cocked high.

Shioda nodded. "The Yamanouchi ninja school. We have always been affiliated with Monkey Kung Fu and the Mystical Monkey Power, ever since we were founded by the original master of the art, the great and honorable Toshimiru. This is also why we set up the student exchange with Middleton High, so that we could bring Stoppable-san to our school. Our leader, Sensei, knew that he needed training, and wanted to also give him the opportunity to prove himself by protecting the Lotus Blade. Only the true Monkey Master could complete this task, and when Stoppable-san accomplished this mission, he proved himself the one spoken of in the prophecy. Other things would follow, but they all stemmed from that initial meeting between Sensei and Stoppable-san."

"But wait," interjected Shego. "Ron's abilities were still come-and-go. How did he suddenly get total control over it?"

Ron took over at this point. "I don't have _total_ control over it, but I can access it easier now. The differences in that moment came down to two things: Sensei's confidence and Kim's life. Sensei finally revealed to me that I was the Monkey Master, and that as such I was the one destined to take on Warhok in equal combat. And when he and Warmonga talked about mounting Kim next to that thorgoggle thing, I realized they were about to kill the one person I care about most. And I couldn't allow that to happen. So I powered up, fought them, and stopped them."

Dr. Director said nothing for a minute, then sighed and spoke with a worrisome quality to her voice. "Ron, I have to ask something. I know you wanted to stop them, but did you intend to kill them?"

Ron looked at Kim, who noticed a strange look on her boyfriend's face. He seemed to be fighting with himself, like he wasn't sure whether he wanted to tell the truth. Her "never be normal" boyfriend seemed genuinely concerned what the head of Global Justice was going to think of his answer to her question. Honestly, Kim had never thought about it, and had always assumed that Ron had not intended to kill the two aliens. Could it be possible that he had?

Ron hung his head. The look on Kim's face told him she suspected something was up. Most likely, she was beginning to think he'd intended to kill Warhok and Warmonga. The truth was, that had been the last thing he'd wanted to do. He'd merely wanted to stop them, but had been unable to stop them. What was worse, he'd felt another presence in his mind, one he had only felt twice in his life. He'd been hesitant to bring it up to Sensei, and even more worried about what Kim would say. It was certainly not something they needed to have to deal with right now. But now, he was going to have to say something. He just hoped that no one would see past what he was about to say. Or that if she did, Kim would wait until later to ask him.

"To tell the truth, when they threatened Kim, something just kind of snapped. My only thought was stopping them for good, so that they couldn't hurt her anymore." He reached over and took Kim's hand in his. "I love her, and the idea of losing her is something I couldn't live with."

Kim did her best to not send a questioning glance at her boyfriend. Something about the way he was explaining himself told her Ron was hiding something. While she might not understand why, she knew that Dr. Director was watching her reactions like a hawk, looking for any clue that something was amiss. Kim would ask what was going on later, but right now they needed this to wrap up quickly and cleanly.

Dr. Director smiled a sort of half-smile. "Very well. I'll team with Agent Shioda and decide what to tell my superiors. However, I warn you now. Something about this will be released to the public. The same type of info that normally comes out about your missions, but the difference here is that Ron is the one who saved the day. I can't predict the future, but I can guarantee that there are going to be repercussions to this. I only hope they don't release anything that interferes with your lives."

"Whoa, whoa. Hold on there, Miss Director," said Shego, holding her hands up in a "time-out" motion. "Me and Dr. D have our reputations to think about here. What are we supposed to do about this report?"

Kim had to suppress a laugh. "Shego, you two are already part of this. Why do you think Drakken got that medal? It's because me and Ron already told the press about you two helping us defeat Warhok and Warmonga."

Dr. Director actually did laugh a bit. "Kim's right. Whether you two like it or not, your threat level has been reduced simply because you have shown the capacity for good."

"Whaaaat?" Drakken's voice was even more whiny than usual. "What do you mean, my threat level's been reduced?"

Dr. Director composed herself before she spoke, though the huge smile refused to leave her face. "I simply mean that, while Global Justice still classifies you as a potential threat to world safety, you are now the same classification of evil as say, Francis Luhrman."

"Frugal Lucre?" exclaimed Drakken. "I'm much more of a threat than him! I actually build doomsday weapons and unleash global domination plans that threaten everyone!"

"That may be true, but you have also shown that you can, if properly motivated, put the fate of the world before your desire to rule it. And that in itself makes you different from every other villain that Kim and Ron face."

"So what does that mean for us?" Shego cut in, her usual snarky tone more prevalent than normal.

Kim replied with a rather sweet smile. "It just means that we don't have to check up on you without a reason anymore."

Green plasma flames immediately flared up around clenched fists. "You mean you two have burst in on us before without a reason?"

Dr. Director held up a hand to stave off the impending clash. "They only did that at our request. As Level Four threats, we needed to have constant information on what you two were up to. But now that you are considered Level Two, that isn't necessary."

"Level Two? We've gone down two levels? Gaahaah! Now I'll have even more unwanted free time." Drakken covered his eyes with his hand and slumped back in his chair.

Shego, however, got a very odd look on her face. To Kim, it almost appeared that the woman seemed happy their recent downgrade and newly acquired alone time that would come with it. If Kim hadn't been sure about it before, she was now. There was definitely something going on between Shego and her employer, even if Drakken still appeared to be oblivious to it. Kim smiled, and kept doing so even when Shego looked at her. The smile quickly disappeared from that green face, however, replaced with an obviously fake attempt at anger.

"If you're so happy about this, Kimmie, maybe you can explain it to us. Who's at each level?"

Kim grinned and looked at Dr. Director, who nodded. "Well, Shego, the sitch is this. A few years back, Global Justice decided to start a continuously updated classification system of world villains and their threat levels. They based it on what you two and your fellow villains did and/or tried to do with your various schemes. If you were more successful or came closer to achieving your objectives, you went up. If you failed outright, your rating fell."

Shego blinked a few times. "And Drakken was at Level Four based on this?"

Ron shrugged in response. "The whole Lil' Diablos thing had a lot to do with that, you know. Prior to that, the two of you were only classified as Level Three."

Now it was Drakken's turn to look confused, though there was a slight smile on his face. "The two of us? You classified me and Shego as one single threat?"

Kim flipped her hair with her hand nonchalantly. "Of course. You two are practically always together in your plans, so it just seemed the natural thing to do. Why, do you have a problem with that?"

Drakken looked over at Shego, who was again doing the uncharacteristic thing and blushing even deeper than she had before. For some reason, it only now occurred to Drew Lipsky that his continual sidekick in crime had been one of the ones cheering him when he received his medal for saving the world. Not only that, she hadn't pulled away when his vine had wrapped around her. Instead, she'd smiled one of the biggest nice smiles he'd ever seen on her beautiful face.

_Her beautiful face._

The thought had caught him off guard, but Drakken found himself now turning it over and over in his mind. Shego was rather beautiful, and it occurred to him that with her looks and her multitude of skills, she could probably get a job with anyone. And yet she kept coming back to work for him, regardless of how many times his plans failed or ended with one or both of them either arrested or looking foolish. Even those times she'd been hired by either the Seniors or by his cousin Motor Ed—when those were over she always ended right back by his side. His thoughts continued like that for a bit, until he realized that he had zoned out while Kim Possible was still explaining the evil classification to them.

"…Killigan rates as a Level Three because he seems obsessed only with turning the world into a golf course. Same thing for your cousin Eddie Lipsky, a.k.a. Motor Ed, since he only seems to want to turn the world into one giant junkyard."

Dr. Director took over. "Then there are the serious world threats at Level Four, villains whose plans often seem very planned out and specifically geared towards world conquest or other similar means, such as Hans Demends, a.k.a. Professor Dementor. Or it may simply be that these villains possess abilities that put them far beyond the capacity of normal law enforcement to control them, such as Camille León and her shape-shifting abilities. You two were ranked at this level because of the Lil' Diablos incident, especially when you consider the addition of Synthodrone #901 into the mix, but are no longer placed there for the reasons we discussed."

"So let me get this straight, Princess," remarked Shego. "You don't come visit us unexpected and unannounced anymore as long as we keep things under control?"

Kim smiled again. "That's the sitch."

Another smile crossed lips coated with black lipstick. "Just one more set of questions. What was the threat level of Warmonga when she first got here?"

Dr. Director rubbed her head somewhat dejectedly. "I'm sorry to say that we only classified her as a Level Two when she first came on the scene, simply because she paired up with Dr. Drakken here and seemed focused on following exactly what he wanted to do as opposed to anything else. G.J. thought that she was simply another failed attempt at Drakken replacing you as a sidekick, which never seemed to work out very well for him. For whatever reason, his schemes only seem to work well when you're with him. Then, when she returned with Warhok, we thought it was more of the same."

Shego smirked at this. "So you got your butts handed to you."

Ron jumped in at this point. "Hey, if I remember correctly, the Lorwardians caught you two completely off guard as well. You two even knew what that tech was, and had seen it and used it before. Yet still Drakken managed to get captured by them just the same as Kim."

Kim grimaced at that. Why had Ron added those last five words? They carried much more sting for her than the two villains sitting in the room. It had only been a short while ago, but she had hoped the feeling would have dissipated somewhat by now.

The fact that she and Drakken had been taken hostage in much the same way irked her to no end, and it was still a source of some embarrassment. True, she hadn't been expecting it, or even seen it coming while so focused on graduating, but Kim had foiled his plans so many times that she had started to think he might not be as terribly bright as he claimed. However, the fact that his plan for defeating the alien mechs had worked perfectly had proven, among other things, that his near success with the Lil' Diablos had not been a fluke. But she had learned that after the fact, and the damage to her pride had already been done.

The sharpness in Shego's voice brought her back to reality quickly. "For your information, Stoppable, neither of us used anything like that tech when Warmonga was here before. Nothing she used that first time was reused this time, including that tractor beam they used to abduct Drakken and Kimmie."

Agent Shioda, who up to this point had been keeping quiet so she could listen for and redirect any information about Yamanouchi and its secrets, leaned over towards Dr. Director. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I believe you have the information you sought, correct? Therefore, I suggest we end this meeting before things get out of hand right here on our doorstep."

The Global Justice head nodded, and closed her file. "I agree. Thank you all for your time. Wade, we will be in touch with you if there's anything else we need to clarify."

The holo-Wade smiled. "You bet, Dr. Director. I'm actually working with a few of your tech guys on getting your systems back up and running, so I'll definitely be reachable for the next few days or so."

"Thank you, Wade," she replied as the image faded.

Then she turned towards Drakken and Shego. "I'd also like to thank you two for your time. Agents Du and Shioda will escort you back to your hovercraft, and you are free to leave at your convenience."

"Bout time," replied an obviously annoyed Shego. "C'mon, Dr. D., let's go. I don't want to spend any more time hanging around these goodie-goodies. We already have enough damage control to do as it is."

Drakken nodded, then turned to Kim and Ron with the same smug look he always wore when bidding them goodbye. "Farewell, Kim Possible. Farewell…whatever your name is."

With that, they both turned and walked out. Kim and Ron watched them and the agents leave, then looked at each other before turning to leave themselves. From the look on Ron's face, Kim could tell exactly what he was about to say. In three, two, one…

"Aww, man. C'mon. It's not that hard a name to remember. You'd think he'd have it down by now."

Dr. Director pulled a second and third file out from under the Lorwardian one. "Kim. Ron."

The teen turned towards her. "Yes, thank you. See, you remember it, and we've only met face to face a handful of times."

Kim caught the hint, and tugged on her boyfriend's shirt sleeve. "No, Ron, I think she still needs to speak with us about something. Right, Dr. Director?"

The woman glanced back at the chairs the two teens had been sitting in expectantly. When Kim and Ron had resumed their seats, she slid a file folder to each of them.

"I understand you two are still undecided on colleges, right? If you would please look at those lists and confirm that the colleges you applied to have been included. Please make sure that all your selections are on there."

Kim and Ron looked at each other confused. What was this about?

"Umm, why do you need to know what colleges we're looking at?" Kim asked after a silent moment.

Once again, an eyebrow cocked over an eye-patch. "Isn't it obvious?"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N

Chapter 3 is here!

Something's going on in Global Justice, and Kim and Ron seemed destined to be caught up in it. To complicate matters, there are changes happening in their normal lives as well.

Plus, two mysterious players are about to be introduced. Why are they here, and what effect will their presence have on Kim and Ron's future?

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

"Umm, why do you need to know what colleges we're looking at?" Kim asked after a silent moment.

Once again, an eyebrow cocked over an eye-patch. "Isn't it obvious?"

Kim was hoping she'd be the first to reply to Dr. Director's question, especially considering that Ron tended to have little tact for knowing what tone to use when addressing an issue like this. Unfortunately, her boyfriend beat her to the punch.

"Uh, hello? No. That's why we asked."

_Great, just great_, thought Kim. _Now she's going to think we're just a couple of smart-mouth kids._

The Global Justice didn't seem offended, however. She merely smiled and put her elbows on the table, crossing her hands in front of her face. It was a pose Kim had seen many times, and it usually meant something wasn't quite right with the situation. When the older woman spoke, her voice had a grave seriousness to it.

"Whatever college you attend, whether you attend the same one or different ones, will require notification ahead of time. It will also require heightened security, just like the extra security we had put in place at Middleton High."

Kim had known this might come up at some point, and had even prepared a speech specifically for this sitch. "Listen, Dr. Director, we know things are going to be…Wait. You had extra security put in at Middleton High because we were going there?"

"Of course," Dr. Director replied without batting an eyelash. "Why do you think you weren't constantly being attacked at school?"

"But how come we never saw the extra measures, or knew about them?" Ron asked as he scratched his head.

Again, the older woman replied as if they were simply discussing the everyday weather. "Because we already had a former agent in place at your school before you ever went on your first mission. I believe the two of you got to know him very well."

"Who?" asked Kim, completely stumped.

Ron, on the other hand, caught on quickly but couldn't believe it was true. "You don't mean…Don't tell me that Mr. Barkin used to work for you guys?"

Dr. Director merely smiled. "Not for very long, but yes, Lt. Steve Barkin of the United States Marines did work for us for a short period following his stint in the Vietnam war."

Kim was shocked to say the least. The very idea that she and Ron had been under the eyes of a former Global Justice agent practically their entire scholastic careers was something she'd never even considered possible. If there was one teacher it fit, it would be Mr. Barkin, but it was still a hard idea to swallow. Of course, if she really thought about it, it also explained quite a lot.

Practically every time she and Ron had a class that needed a sub, it had been Mr. Barkin who filled in, even though Middleton High had a plethora of other available substitute teachers. Barkin had also been the only teacher who had never had to be conditioned to accept mission exemptions from them on tests and assignments. Granted, she herself had never had to use them (except for that one biology test that she had blown off to save a village from a tidal wave), but Ron had definitely put his to use more than a few times. As a matter of fact, he had actually used some of their missions as his assignments, like when he had used his "Naked Mole Rap" as an autobiography paper, and Barkin had had little if any problem with that. Losing her train of thought for a second, Kim giggled a bit at the memory, because to this day Ron still had little kids coming up to him asking if they could see Rufus and hear that song.

She soon returned to the matter at hand, though. "But why didn't you tell us about that? It seems ferociously underhanded to have that going on and not tell us."

Dr. Director sighed and again rubbed the bridge of her nose, and Kim became distinctly aware of just how many times the woman had done that since the two teens arrived. The first few she'd merely passed off as stress due to the presence of Drakken and Shego, but now it seemed to be more deeply rooted than that. Something was bothering the Global Justice head, and if Kim's hunch was correct, she and Ron were a big part of it.

"Global Justice is experiencing a power struggle. There are a growing number of higher-ups who want us to stop the covert and stealth, and employ our strength and technology to force issues. It started before the attack, and now they are using the apparent ineffectiveness we experienced against the Lorwardians against us. And unfortunately, it comes right at the crucial time of the two of you moving from high school to college. This means that I have to do things I wouldn't normally do."

"Things like what?" asked Ron, a worried look on his face.

The director sighed again. "Things like the meeting we just had where I basically had to force you to reveal something you weren't ready to tell me. Or things like this, where I have to get involved in your college selection, something I should have no business messing with."

She lowered her hands, and stared intently at them. First at Kim, then at Ron, and then both of them.

"Kim. Ron. I need you both to listen very carefully. Will is right about what he said: if I end up getting replaced, the new head of Global Justice won't be near as cooperative with you two as I've been. If the rumors are true, it would mean that highest candidate for my replacement is the agent I consider the most ruthless in the interrogation room. And if he takes over, Global Justice will cease to be the respectable agency I've tried to build it into. So I need both of you to trust me. What I'm being forced to do over the next few months, I wouldn't be doing if I didn't consider it in the best interest of everyone involved."

Kim felt a cold, uneasy chill go up her spine. "What exactly are you saying?"

Dr. Director cast a wary eye at the door to make sure no one was listening, and then lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "I'm saying that if _he_ had been in charge when the Zorpox incident occurred, Ron would most likely be currently locked up in a facility that he could never hope to be released from."

Kim gasped, and looked at the love of her life. She expected to see a similar reaction, and the look on his face probably was similar. But the eyes held a fear that seemed ten times worse. Something was bothering him immensely, and Kim would bet all the money in the world it was the same thing that had bothered him when Dr. Director had asked if he actually meant to kill Warhok and Warmonga. However, she decided not to press it right now, even though her senses were suddenly in full mission mode. If her gut was right, they needed to keep this a secret from the Global Justice head, especially if what she had just told them was true.

Dr. Director frowned. "I can tell that bothers you both more than you're letting on, but since I'm in the situation I'm in, I'm not going to press it. Just please; make sure all the colleges you applied to or received acceptance letters from are on there. I need to make sure I haven't missed any."

Kim composed herself enough to smile at the woman, a friendly smile meant to convey understanding and support. "No big."

Noticing that Ron was still shaken, Kim scanned his sheet for him, noting to herself that his college list was maybe a tenth of the size of hers. She did smile, however, as she noticed a second list that was full of culinary schools. Ron had a knack for the kitchen, and he had expressed to her his interest in maybe foregoing a four-year college in favor of a two-year institute followed by a cooking school. She also noticed that several of his prime choices for culinary education were in cities that were the same or near the locations of her top college choices. After looking over his list, she perused her own. Both lists seemed in perfect order, so she handed them back to Dr. Director.

"Thank you, Kim. You too, Ron. Just please remember what I said about trusting me."

Ron, who appeared to have calmed down considerably, smiled. "We will. And I promise I'll try to help Kim remember, too."

Kim good-naturedly popped him on the arm. "You mean we'll help each other remember, don't you?"

"Of course, KP. That's what I meant," he said as he held up his hands in defense.

Dr. Director laughed, a heartier laugh than Kim and Ron had heard from her all day. "You two make sure you keep that humor between you, because I can almost guarantee you're going to need to be able to laugh in the days to come."

The two teens smiled, and then both surprised her with a friendly hug.

"Thanks, you two," the director smiled afterwards.

"No big," they said as one. Then realizing what they had done, they turned quickly towards each other.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda," said Kim just slightly faster.

"Aww, man," complained Ron good-naturedly.

Dr. Director took a deep breath, then returned her facial expression to its normal light-hearted seriousness. "Now, I think I've held your ears long enough. Why don't I show you the way out of this place?" With that, she held the door open for them.

Ron, of course came up with the perfect way to completely dissolve the tension of the room they were leaving. "You know, I was wondering how you manage to get around her without getting lost. It seems almost like it was designed to confuse people."

Both Kim and Dr. Director laughed, and Dr. Director held up a finger to indicate she'd answer in a minute. It felt good to Kim to see the woman laugh, especially considering what she'd just revealed to the teens. Her mother had often said it helped a patient heal if they could find things to laugh at and keep their spirits up, and it was obvious the director hadn't laughed like this in a while. It was nice to know she and Ron could do that for a friend.

When she'd calmed down again, the director said with as straight a face as possible, "We actually have a weekly office pool on that which restarts every Monday. We bet on who will need to get directions first that week. And the person who does usually has to endure a week or so of razzing and jokes."

"So who was it last week?" quipped Ron.

The director smirked. "Will Du. Got even more ribbing than most because of his pride in the job."

All three got a good laugh out of that, though Kim noticed with an amused grin that Dr. Director kept her head on a swivel to keep herself oriented, so that she wouldn't be the next one to endure the ribbing of her coworkers.

Once they got outside, Kim and Ron both hugged her again, then waved goodbye as they climbed into the Sloth. Ron started it up, and Kim watched the non-descript building disappear into the cityscape. As they drove, both could feel the other had multiple questions. But neither Kim nor Ron knew how to break the ice. This most recent encounter with Global Justice had shaken their confidence in the organization, especially if what Dr. Director had told them about a power struggle from within was true. They still considered careers with G.J. to be in their futures, but jobs actually within the organization now looked less appealing.

Though the distance from Go City back to Middleton was relatively short, the uncomfortable silence that had settled between the two of them made it seem almost three times as long. Kim knew that Ron wasn't taking any back roads, opting instead for the quickest, most direct route back to their hometown, but it still felt to her like he was taking every single turn and cutback he could. It didn't help that he seemed to be lost in thought, and that this felt like the quietest car ride they had ever shared. Finally, when Kim could stand the silence no longer, she let out a sigh. And though she didn't mean it too, it came out sounding very irritated.

Ron looked at her with a worried look on his face. "Something wrong, KP?"

Realizing what she'd just done, she quickly smiled at him. "No. Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking about what happened back there."

Ron nodded. "I know. That situation was most definitely not 'Boo yeah' material.

Kim had to agree with that. "Yeah. I know we've only met her face to face a few times, but I've never seen Dr. Director that rattled."

"Yeah. She normally seems so calm and collected."

"But really can you blame her? Especially with that power struggle drama?"

"Exactly. And then being pressured about us and the Lorwardian attack?"

"I know," Kim replied. Then something came to mind. "Ron, do you mind if I ask something?"

"Sure, KP. What's up?"

Kim took a deep breath, knowing what she was about to ask was probably going to make Ron uncomfortable. "Back there, when she asked you if you meant to take out Warhok and Warmonga, you got really quiet and nervous. And the same thing happened when she mentioned the Zorpox incident. Is something going on you're not telling me?"

Ron sighed, and spoke with a nervousness Kim had only heard one other time. This unsure Ron had only shown himself once before, when they had been tied up at the Bueno Nacho headquarters. That night, Ron had been nervous about asking Kim to be his girlfriend. But this was a whole different sitch.

"Kim, the reason I haven't said anything is I honestly don't know myself. I mean, no, I didn't intend to kill them, but it happened. And I'm not entirely sure I was in control when I did it."

The fact that he had called her "Kim" instead of "KP" immediately sent up red flags in her mind. "What do you mean, Ron?"

"I mean that something happened during that fight, and I don't know what. I could tell what I was doing, but I couldn't control it. Especially once Warmonga joined in. It was like someone else was controlling me."

"Someone else? You mean like another person inside your head?"

"Something like that. Only it seemed like it was still me. Weird, huh?"

Kim shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, Ronnie. What do you think it was?"

Ron shook his head in surprise. "Ronnie? Where'd that come from?"

Kim blushed a bit and hung her head, just slightly embarrassed. "Well…that is…umm…" How could she have let that slip?

Ron smiled. "What is it KP?"

Kim looked up from her embarrassment. "Well, you've got that name for me, and I…I've just been going over nicknames for you that sound good to me. And that's what I picked."

Then she added quickly, "But I didn't plan to use it yet. I wanted to wait till a special occasion before I pulled it out. Especially since that was what I called you during that whole Moodulators sitch."

Ron thought for a moment, a strange smile on his face. "Actually, KP, I was kind of hoping that'd be what you picked. I kind of liked you calling me that then, and well…that's when you first told me that there were fireworks between us."

Kim giggled. "Spankin. I was a little worried you'd hate it because of that."

"Nah. I think it's badical. Call me that whenever you like."

Now that they were both once again feeling comfortable enough to use their familiar phrases, things seemed much smoother. The rest of the car ride back to Middleton was so relaxed, in fact, that Kim didn't even realize Ron hadn't answered her question until they got back to his house. But given both their good moods, she decided to let it slide. This was obviously something he wasn't yet ready to tell her about, and if she pushed him it might backfire on her.

Besides, there were other things to deal with, such as what she and her family were going to do about their house. It had been one of the first structures the Lorwardians had destroyed, along with at least half of Middleton, and now the cleanup was beginning. Being who she was, Kim had kept several things in her room that needed to be retrieved before they fell into the wrong hands. Some of the gadgets, gizmos and tools Wade had given her and Ron over the years could be pretty powerful, and the last thing they needed was to have their own tech and weapons thrown back at them.

Of particular interest was the battle suit, even though Kim had been loath to use it ever since her Cousin Larry had worn it during their last fight with Dementor. Despite his frequent failures at obtaining the suit, the Austrian mad genius had yet to cease his efforts to steal it. And now would be the perfect opportunity, especially if the storage safe Wade had designed to store the suit had been compromised. In reality, it was probably more of a pod than a safe, but it was still pretty secure. At least it was as long as the electricity was on. With the Possible house demolished, that was certain to not be the case. Before they could leave, however, there was a matter of business to take care of, as evidenced by the voices of both sets of parents coming from the Stoppable living room.

"You want to what?" James Possible sounded like he could hardly believe his ears.

Gene Stoppable's voice merely carried a smile. "Jean and I would be honored if you would agree."

Anne Possible sounded equally as shocked. "But we don't know what to say. Why would you do this?"

Jean Stoppable also sounded completely calm. "Because we feel it's the right thing to do."

Kim and Ron chose that moment to come walking through the door. As the teens entered, all four adults turned to look at them. As they took the remaining two seats on the couch, Ron's mother quickly seized the initiative.

"Why don't we ask the kids what they think?"

Ron groaned. "Mom, we're not kids anymore."

James spoke up. "Hate to say it, Ronald, but the four of us will probably still see the two of you as kids even when you are grown up and have teenagers of your own."

"What's this about, Mom?" Kim asked as she turned towards her own mother. That's when she noticed a watery sheen to her mom's eyes.

"The Stoppables want us to stay here with them until we get our house rebuilt."

Ron's mouth fell open. "Really, Dad?"

Gene smiled again. "Of course, son. The Possibles have always been there for you during your hard times. This is simply a small way of showing our gratitude to them. After all, you wouldn't be who you are without them and their wonderful daughter."

Ron slipped his arm around Kim's shoulder. "Yeah, Kim is pretty great. I think I'll keep her around."

Kim snuggled against him. "Like I'd let you get rid of me if you tried, Ron," she teased good-naturedly.

Ron rewarded her teasing with a kiss to her forehead, causing her to cuddle up closer to him.

James smiled. "I think we have our answer right there." He stuck his hand out to Ron's father, who shook it heartily. "We're very grateful for the hospitality."

Jean looked at Kim and her son, and then nudged Anne slightly. Mrs. Possible looked at the two teens, and couldn't help but smile. Ron, who had taken the seat next to the arm, had settled into the corner of the couch, and Kim was snuggled up against his side with his arm around her shoulders. Both teens were fast asleep. Jean pulled a blanket out of the closet, and Anne helped her place it gently over the two young people. Then they motioned to their husbands, and all four headed into the dining room, leaving the sleeping teens to rest. Once in the dining room, the four adults sat down around the dining table.

James glanced back into the living room. "Hard to believe those two are the reason we're still sitting here."

Anne shook her head. "Honey, you know Kim and Ron do that on a regular basis. Why should this be any different?"

"I have to say I agree with James on this one, Anne." Gene chimed in. "I know they handle Earth villains on a regular basis, but this time they managed to stop an actual alien attack. You have to admit, it does take things to a bit more of risk level."

Anne looked at him with a surprised look on her face. "Don't tell me you've already calculated their new risk factor."

Gene half smiled. "Well, I was voted Actuary of the Year, and my company needed to know what their new risk level would. And surprisingly, their risk level is down now that they've graduated high school. The attack only raised their risk factor temporarily. Now it's back to normal. It also means that Kim's health insurance won't cost you two as much."

Jean got up and started a pot of coffee. "Unfortunately for us, Ron still has a rather high health insurance. Something about his 'natural awkwardness and clumsiness'. Until he actually starts growing into his feet, I'm afraid we'll still be paying pretty high on him."

James again glanced back into the den. He knew Ron wouldn't do anything, but it still sometimes made him nervous to see his Kimmie-cub cuddled up so cozy with a boy. It was only when his wife nudged him in the ribs that he even realized what he'd been doing. His attention turned back into the dining room and the conversation.

"So, has Ronald started narrowing down the colleges he got acceptance letters from yet?"

Jean shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. To tell the truth, I think he's waiting until Kim makes her decision."

Anne laughed at that. "To be honest, I think that's exactly what Kim's doing. She wants to be near Ron as well, and she's putting off choosing a college until he makes his choice."

Gene shook his head. "The longer those two wait, the lower their percentage of getting into the college they want. Particularly Ronald."

James was a bit confused. "Why would your son have more trouble than our daughter getting into college? Don't they both have the 'save the world' credit going for them?"

Anne sighed. Despite being a rocket scientist, her husband could be incredibly dense at times. She just hoped the Stoppables weren't offended by his short-sightedness.

"James, Kim had almost a 4.0 GPA, and was in practically every club she could get in to."

Jean poured four cups of coffee and gave one to each of the others before sitting down with her own. "Ron, on the other hand, managed to just barely pull a 2.8, and he didn't have that many extracurricular activities the first few years of high school. His choices aren't as varied as Kim's are."

James grinned. "Well, to be honest, he actually did more than you think. If what he asked of me and told me was true, he did manage to beat Kim in one aspect of college applications. According to what I know, he had more than three times the recommendation letters."

Gene nearly spilled his coffee in his lap. "Our Ronald did that?"

James smiled again. "Evidently, he felt that his GPA and amount of extracurricular activities wouldn't be good enough to get him into a college at the level he needed it to be as Kim Possible's boyfriend. So, he beefed up the only area he knew he could still make a significant difference in."

Jean put her hand over her heart and looked into the living room. "Imagine. Our Ronald feeling that kind of love towards anyone would make me proud. But for it to be your Kimberly, I just can't believe it."

Gene sipped his coffee slowly. "So what time should we wake them?"

Anne smiled. "Oh, let them sleep. They deserve it after all they've been through lately."

* * *

Outside the Stoppable household, two figures quietly slipped over the fence and then up to the roof. If not for their training, it would have been easy for someone to either hear them or see them. But they were well equipped for this, and these two knew they couldn't afford to be seen until the time was right.

The female quickly removed her hood, revealing a long shock of blonde hair paired with piercing, emerald green eyes. "X, are you sure this is the right place? It looks really different from the one I remember."

Her male companion removed his hood, revealing light turquoise skin and jet black hair. "Yeah, I'm positive, Jules. This is the house that was marked on the map he showed me. So what do we do now?"

She looked at a small screen built into the wrist of her jumpsuit. "Well, according to the mission specs I received, we have to tail them from here to the other location. Then, if they're alone, we make contact. If not, we stay at the new location until they come back alone. Assuming we came on the right day, they should be doing that at least twice today."

He grimaced with a look that would have been very familiar to anyone that knew his father. "Man, I hate waiting. It totally tanks."

The young woman smiled at him. "Same here, but it's a special requirement of this sitch. If we don't wait, we risk failing completely, and you know we can't afford to do that. Especially if this chaos calculator is correct."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish I'd brought something to do."

She looked at him reproachfully. "Well, don't even think about tossing around one of your little firecrackers, even just hand to hand. If you drop it, our cover will be blown sky high. Mom's told me about this girl, and I'd hate to think what would happen if we had to fight."

X sighed. "Fine. I just wish I knew where _he_ was. Then we could stop him now."

Jules looked at him. "Same here, X. Same here."

* * *

It was almost 3:00 PM when Ron finally stirred. His arm felt like it had fallen asleep, and he couldn't figure out why until his vision focused in. Kim was cuddled up against his side, and was holding arm around her like a safety harness. To him, she looked like a red-headed angel. He didn't want to wake her, but man his arm was so numb it was tingling. It almost felt like he didn't have an arm, and he suspected that if he tried to move it, he would only succeed in flopping it around. Nothing to do but wait until Kim woke up.

She actually woke up a few minutes later, and when she did she looked right up into his eyes. Then she leaned up and kissed him full on the mouth. If he hadn't guessed that both sets of parents were still in the house, he would have wrapped his good arm around her for a very steamy make-out session. But that probably wasn't the best idea right now, a thought that was confirmed when Dr. James Possible came out into the living room.

"You two are finally up, I see."

Kim turned to him and grinned. "Hi, Dad. What's the sitch?"

James smiled. "How many times have you said that before?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Dad. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just helping Ron's father move some furniture around so that the nine of us would be slightly more comfortable here. And before you say anything, it was his idea."

Ron had a confused look on his face. "Nine of us?"

Kim blinked a few times. "What are you talking about?"

Jean Stoppable, who had come into the room at this point, took one of the recliners. "You and your family are going to be staying here with us for a while, Kim."

Kim sat bolt upright from her position. "We are."

James chuckled. "You two must have been more tired than we thought. We talked about this when you came in earlier."

Ron rubbed his eyes. "I thought that was just a dream or something."

Jean smiled. "No, sweetie. That was real. The Possibles are going to be living with us while they rebuild their house."

Kim and Ron looked at each other. Then they smiled, two of the biggest smiles the two adults had ever seen from them.

James cleared his throat. "But, Kimmie-cub, your mother and I think we need to set a few rules on that. And Ronald's parents agree with us wholeheartedly. Rules about sleeping arrangements and so forth."

Ron surprised him with his interjection. "Actually, I think it would best if Jim and Tim stayed in my room and Kim got the other guest room. That way, she gets her own room, and the twins don't have to worry about making it look like a guy's room."

James blinked a few times. "What about you, Ronald?"

Ron smiled. "I'll just take the hide-a-bed here in the couch. And I can just make sure I stay decent the whole time. It'll be the same as when Aunt Margot and Uncle Jacob and their kids come to visit."

Kim smiled at her boyfriend. "But Ron, that's not right. You take the guest room and I'll take the couch bed."

Ron shook his head. "KP, you know you need a lot more privacy than I do in the mornings. Our missions have proved that."

At the raising of James's eyebrow, he quickly added, "I just mean that you've taken longer to come out of your hotel room than I have when missions required that we stay someplace overnight."

James relaxed a bit. "I think I have to agree with him on this one, Kimmie-cub. That's why we gave you the loft-bedroom at our house. Not only did you have your own bathroom, but you could get completely ready before anyone saw you."

Kim grinned and grimaced at the same time. The result was a somewhat-forced smile that indicated she was giving in. "Fine, but only if the Tweebs agree to not lock Ron out of his room."

James nodded. "Don't worry. Your mother and I are going to discuss that with them, among other things." He turned to Jean Stoppable. "I do hope you and Gene realize what you're doing by letting all of us stay here."

Jean merely smiled and pointed at the ceiling, where you could still see the faint marks of Hana's shoeprints. "We deal with Hana all the time. I'm sure your boys won't be any trouble at all."

At that moment, Anne Possible walked through the door carrying a stack of envelopes. "Kim, I've got some more college acceptance letters here for you."

Kim sighed. So far, she'd received an acceptance letter from every college she'd applied to, and some she hadn't. It seemed like every university on the planet wanted to have the distinction of saying they were the college that Kim Possible picked to attend. Heck, she'd even gotten a few letters from men's only colleges claiming they wanted her to be the first step in their crossing over to accepting women into their programs. However, as her mother handed her the envelopes, Kim noticed something strange.

"Oxford? Tokyo University? Harvard? I've already received both acceptance letters and scholarship offers from all three of these places. What's the sitch here?"

She looked at her parents, who simply shrugged. They were as baffled as she was. Slowly she opened the envelope from Harvard, pulled out the letter, and began to read aloud. As she did, her eyes grew wider than saucers.

"Dear Miss Kimberly Anne Possible. We regret to inform you that due to circumstances beyond our control, we must withdraw both our invitation for you to attend our institution and the accompanying scholarship offer. We feel certain that you would have done well here, and wish you luck at the university that you choose. Signed, the Dean of Admissions."

Kim immediately dropped the Harvard letter and opened the ones from Oxford and Tokyo University. They both held similar messages, informing her that her invitations and scholarship offers had been retracted. She sank back into the couch. Rejected? She looked over at Ron, whose face mirrored what she felt at that moment.

"What? KP, why would they do that?"

Kim shook her head. "I don't know, Ron. Mom, Dad, have you ever heard of anything like this?"

James was scratching his head. "I don't know, Kimmie-cub. I never expected anything like this."

Anne Possible, who was normally the calm sage, seemed to fish for answers. "Maybe it was because you didn't choose immediately?"

Ron, however, had an idea pop into his head. "KP, you don't think this is what Dr. Director meant, do you?"

Kim looked at him like he'd suddenly grown an extra head. "Ron, get serious. Betty would never pull something sneaky like this on us."

However, a few minutes later, she wasn't as sure. Gene Stoppable walked in with a stack of letters for Ron, and his contained messages almost identical to the ones Kim had received. While it wasn't as big as shock to him to get rejected, it still hit pretty hard.

"Le Cordon Bleu? L'Ecole Culinaire? The Culinary Institute of America? Florida Culinary Institute? I got shut out at all of them?" He hung his head dejectedly. "Maybe I should just get a normal degree and a normal job."

Kim tipped his chin up. "Ronnie, anyone who has had your cooking knows that's not the case. The things you can do in the kitchen are absolutely magical, and all someone who doubts you will have to do is try your food to know that. Plus, the way you look when you're working over a hot stove is the same as the way you look at me. You love to cook. You were born to be a chef."

Ron looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks, KP. I needed that."

Kim grinned. "I think what we both need is something to get our minds off this. How about we go over to my house and start sifting through the debris for what's left of our equipment? Wade said we needed to get it out soon before someone comes by and steals it."

Anne Possible nodded. "I think that's a good idea, Kim. Could you see if you could possibly find your grandmother's jewelry box while you're at it? We kept it in our room on my dresser."

"Sure, Mom. The one belonging to Nana Possible or Grandma Carmichael?"

"Both, if you could. Though I suspect that Nana Possible's might be harder to find. She was staying in the spare room downstairs, and she kept it in the closet."

James spoke up. "I'm just glad that she was here when the attack hit. They say her retirement village was half-destroyed by one of those attack mechs. And if she'd been there she would have been in one of those groups of seniors that tried to defend it."

Kim had to admit her dad was right. Nana Possible was a former aviatrix, as well as being the first woman to complete S.E.A.L. training. As such, she was a tough woman who wouldn't have sat back and done nothing. If anything, she probably would have been out on the front lines attempting to stop the mechs by any means necessary. Kim suddenly realized she had a reason to be grateful the Lorwardians had attacked during her graduation, as it had meant that her grandmother was safe with them in Middleton. As of right now, she was probably chewing Joss's ear with the same complaint about not wearing dresses that she'd often given Kim. Uncle Slim and Joss had offered to take Nana back down to Florida to see if there were still anything left of her condo and to collect her things.

"We'll do our best, Drs. P," Ron said with a smile.

Preparing for the drive over to the wreckage of the Possible house should have been somewhat of a downer, considering that the place that held so many memories was now barely more than a pile of rubble. But for Kim and Ron it had the opposite effect—times like this, when they had their mission clothes on and were dealing with possible catastrophe, this was when their lives made sense. Even if they weren't expecting to face any villains during this excursion, it was still a mission.

As they drove over to the house, though, Kim had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She glanced over at Ron in the passenger seat and he slowly nodded, and joined her in checking the mirrors. They were being followed, and neither had any idea who it was or why it was happening. What made the sitch even more alarming was that whoever it was had experience in this kind of thing, and wasn't slipping up even the slightest bit. That meant there were no mistakes that would allow Kim and Ron to identify or even see them. To throw them off, Kim drove right past the remains of the house, intending to come back to it later. But the feeling quickly disappeared about two blocks later, so she turned around in a driveway and headed back.

It wasn't until they pulled into what was left of her driveway that it finally hit them just what had happened. To tell the truth, they shouldn't have been that surprised. Over the years the Possible house had been damaged by more things stemming from villains coming after Kim than they could count, whether it was the Diablos damaging the roof or the zombie snowmen causing untold water damage as they tried get inside to attack Summer Gale. But in all that time, the damage had never been so complete. Not a single wall stood more than four feet high, and everywhere they looked, it was nothing more than rubble. As she got out of the car, Kim actually found herself tearing at the prospect of not coming back to the same house anymore. Even if her parents rebuilt it exactly the same and bought the exact same furniture, it would never really be the same house.

Ron, noticing his girlfriend was feeling emotional, calmly got out and walked over to her. He placed his arms comfortingly around her from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder. They stood there like that for a moment, letting the early winds of summer blow across their faces. Kim said nothing, so Ron followed her example, merely holding her and letting her feel his presence. After what seemed like hours of standing there motionless, she finally spoke.

"It really is gone, isn't it?"

"What's gone, KP?"

"Everything. All those memories, all the fun we had, all the times we faced danger together at this place. It's all gone."

"KP, I know the structure's gone, but the memories are still here, and this is still your home. It's not the house that makes it so; it's the love that fills it. And I can guarantee that even if your parents don't rebuild a single thing the way it was, it will still be your home. And you'll love it just the same." He finished his speech with a kiss to her cheek.

Kim turned away from the house to look at him, her voice getting slowly less stable as she spoke. "Ronnie, it's not just the building, it was all the stuff that made it different. It was the dent in the bottom rung of the stairs that led up to my room, the one that you put there when you fell backwards down them. I'm not going to need to make sure I hold my breath so I don't breathe in that stench in the empty closet from when my brothers kept their experiments in there too long. My family ate practically every meal we ate together at home at that table. And I have to learn to sleep in a new room, when I slept in that same loft for almost fourteen of my nearly eighteen years." With that, the dam broke, and she leaned into his chest, crying softly.

Now Ron understood, and it hit him like a ton of bricks how dense he'd been. It wasn't just the house or the memories that Kim was missing; it was the feel of the place. He could just imagine how he'd feel if something happened to his own parents' home. He stood there with his arms around the girl he loved, simply holding her and rubbing her back as she cried. After a few minutes, she calmed down a bit, and looked up at him. The look in her eyes made his heart soar.

"How do you always know what to do to make me feel better?"

Ron merely smiled. "Simple, KP. I love you."

Kim responded by leaning up and kissing him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ron met the passion of her kiss with his own, his arms wrapped around her lower back and lifting her up. Her left foot popped up higher than her right, and when Kim realized it had done that without her doing it, she kissed him even more fiercely.

For the second time that day, a rarity in their lives, Kim found herself thinking a single thought.

_Nothing could spoil this moment. Nothing._

Nothing that is, except two shadows she barely saw dashing behind one of her house's still barely standing walls when her eyes flitted open for just a sec. Doing her absolute best to keep the two intruders from knowing she had seen them, she pulled back from the kiss barely an inch and looked deep in Ron's eyes. Then she flicked her eyes three times towards the left where they were. Ron grinned twice then glanced for a sec in the direction she had indicated. It was a special signal they had worked out many years ago. Back then, it had been intended for situations where they were ambushed while planning strategy. Since they had started dating, however, it had proved instantly invaluable whenever they were surprised while kissing, such as now.

In a flash, Ron had given Kim a boost so that she somersaulted over to the other side, surprising the two shadowy figures. In the next instant, Ron had pulled his own flipping jump, landing on the opposite side from Kim, effectively surrounding them. Kim dropped into a fighting stance, while Ron pulled out a Monkey Kung Fu stance. The two figures between them were back to back, eerily reminding Kim of the many times she and Ron had been in that very same position. It was almost as if she were gazing into their past, right down to the stance the two were using. Her surprise did little to remove the grim resolve from her voice.

"All right, who are you and why were you following us?"

The figure facing Kim spoke first with a voice that immediately revealed her as female. "Sorry, can't tell you that. Not yet anyway."

Ron was equally on guard. "What do you mean, 'not yet'?" His eyes had gained a slight blue hue to them.

The figure facing him seemed to be holding back something. "Jules, I think he's about to go monkey if you know what I mean."

The female sagged her shoulders just a bit, a move that looked strangely similar to when Kim did the same when annoyed with Ron. "X, I just told them we could reveal our names to them yet."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry about that. It's just, I've only seen this once, and let's just say I didn't come out of that looking too good."

Kim dropped her stance, but still kept her guard up. "Hold up? You say you've seen Ron powered up before? What's the sitch here?"

The female pulled off her hood, revealing her long blonde hair, cut in a style very similar to Kim's normal style. The eyes were the same piercing green as well. Not only that, the young woman's very build was almost the exact same as Kim's. If it hadn't been for the blonde hair, Kim could have sworn she was looking in a mirror.

"Who are you?"

The strange male relaxed his stance just enough to turn towards his partner. "Jules, no! You know what he told us about this. We have a very specific order we have to proceed in. Otherwise, this whole sitch is shot, and home won't be the one we know."

"I know, X. But we're already off track because they saw us. We have to go by ear from here on in." The woman looked around as if expecting someone to be listening in to the conversation. "I'll tell you who we are, but first you have to let us speak to Wade Load."

Ron relaxed a little as well, and stepped towards the young woman in a challenging gesture. "Wade? Why do you want to speak to him?"

"X" stepped in front of him, his fists suddenly gaining a blue-green glow. "Watch it, Monkey Man!"

In a flash, the young woman had back-flipped over her partner, landing between him and Ron. "X! Don't do this! You know what will happen if we fight them! Calm down, NOW!!"

The glare he shot Ron told him this wasn't over, but the glow still disappeared from his hands. "Fine, Jules. For your sake, I won't do anything to him."

Obviously not convinced, the young woman pulled him aside and the two engaged is a fierce whispering conversation.

During this exchange, Ron had slipped over to stand next to Kim. He turned his back to the two and pulled Kim towards him. "Hey, did that look familiar to you, KP?" he whispered.

Kim had recognized the move and stance as well. "If you mean that this guy probably has a connection to Shego, I agree. But there's something about the girl that is sending my weird-ar off the charts. I feel like we know her."

Finally, after several minutes of hushed muttering between the two couples, the two girls won out. They turned towards each other, and it struck Ron just how similar the young woman did look to Kim. Not only that, he also got the odd feeling that they knew her.

"Alright," said Kim, breaking the ice. "We'll let you talk to Wade, but only with us watching. And only after we learn your names."

The mysterious couple whispered to each other for a few minutes, and finally the girl spoke.

"That works for us. You can call me Jules, and he's X. And that is his first initial, not an attempt to hide his identity."

Kim did her best to smile. "That's fine. I'm…"

"Kimberly Anne Possible and Ronald Eugene Stoppable. We know who you are," interrupted X.

"Wait, you know who we are?!" Ron exclaimed.

Jules glared at the young man. Then she turned back towards Kim and Ron. "I promise we'll tell you whatever we can just as soon as we talk to Wade. We can't say anything else until we talk to him."

Kim nodded, and then retrieved the large PDA-sized Kimmunicator from the Sloth's glove compartment. She pressed a button and waited for it to activate. "Wade?"

The screen flickered for a second before the young man's face materialized on it. "What up, Kim?"

"Wade, we have a majorly mysterious sitch on our hands. There're two people here who need to speak to you. All we've got so far is that their names are Jules and X, and they won't tell us anything more until they speak with you. Oh, and Ron and me think we know the girl."

The young tech genius shrugged. "Don't know what to tell you, Kim. But if you think its okay, then activate the holo-feature."

Kim pressed a button, and then set the Kimmunicator on the hood of the Sloth. Within a few seconds, the holo-Wade materialized in front of them. The image had a faint shimmer to it, but anyone who hadn't seen the image appear would assume that the young genius was standing before them.

"Well then. Jules, X, what can I do for you?"

Jules spoke up first. "We have a message for you. Project Gemini Chronos. Level Red. Code L-A-R-4-E."

"Huh?"

Ron was completely stumped, and he wasn't the only one. The off-the-wall message had her racking her brain trying to figure out what was going on. She looked over at Wade, expecting to see the same confusion she and Ron felt. Instead, she saw what she could only describe as complete and utter shock and horror. She was just about to ask him what was wrong when he said the last thing she'd expected to hear.

"Kim, I need to talk to them alone for a bit. Hand them the Kimmunicator and don't follow them. I promise they won't run off with it."

"Sure thing, Wade." Kim wasn't nearly as sure as her voice sounded as she did what he said.

As Jules and X walked off a little ways carrying the device and talking with Wade's hologram, Kim leaned up against the side of the car. Ron joined her for a minute, but couldn't stay still, so he headed off into the rubble of the Possible house to search for what was left of their mission gear. However, that wasn't before Kim made him promise he wouldn't go near Jules and X.

After a few minutes, Ron returned. "Bad news, Kim. The storage pod's toast and the battle suit's nowhere to be found." To prove it, he held up a fragment of the blue casing."

"Well that's just great. Any luck with the other stuff?"

Ron smiled, and moved aside to show her the box he'd set behind him. "All the other tech's safe. I even managed to find both jewelry boxes, and they're both completely intact."

Kim threw her arms around him. "You rock, Ronnie."

She was about to kiss him when she noticed Jules and X heading back towards them with holo-Wade. From the look on Wade's face, it was obvious the news he'd gotten from them was anything but normal. As a matter of fact, he looked downright sick with worry about what he'd learned from the mysterious couple.

"What's the sitch, Wade?"

Wade rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, Kim, Ron, I don't know how to tell you this, but you do know these two, or you will."

Kim glanced at Ron, who looked as confused as she felt. They _would_ know these two?

Ron spoke first. "What's going on Wade?"

"Well, I don't really know where to start, so I'll just start with the introductions. These two are from the future, and their names are Xander and Julie."

Kim shook her head in surprise. "The future?! What are you talking about, Wade?"

Wade rubbed the back of his neck again. "Umm, that's not the part that's going to be hardest to believe. Julie's full name is Julie Anne Stoppable, a.k.a. June Stoppable. She's your daughter."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N

Chapter 4 is up and running!

Kim and Ron are introduced to their future daughter, Julie Anne "June" Stoppable and her companion Xander. They also learn that things are not going like they should, and that means that something very bad is about to happen.

As if that weren't enough, someone very close to Kim and Ron is dealing with things she's not ready to share, and Kim's more confused than ever. Also, a shadow from Ron's past is starting to appear once more, throwing a definite wrench in the works.

Team Possible has always been able to balance personal life and world-saving, but could these new kinks in the line throw them off?

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

Wade rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, Kim, Ron, I don't know how to tell you this, but you do know these two, or you will."

Kim glanced at Ron, who looked as confused as she felt. They _would_ know these two?

Ron spoke first. "What's going on Wade?"

"Well, I don't really know where to start, so I'll just start with the introductions. These two are from the future, and their names are Xander and Julie."

Kim shook her head in surprise. "The future? What are you talking about, Wade?"

Wade rubbed the back of his neck again. "Umm, that's not the part that's going to be hardest to believe. Julie's full name is Julie Anne Stoppable, a.k.a. June Stoppable. She's your daughter."

It took a minute for both of them to digest what Wade had said. When it finally clicked, though, it was pretty obvious.

"Whoa, slow down!" Ron was waving his hands in front of him as if the tech genius's pronouncement was a force in could stop from crashing into him.

"Wade, that is SOOOO not funny," Kim countered, crossing her arms at the bad joke.

Unfortunately, Wade seemed unfazed and completely set in his idea. "It's not a joke, Kim. June here is your daughter from the future."

June stepped forward. "I'm afraid it's no joking sitch, Mom. And neither is why we're here."

Kim shook her head back and forth in a rapid double-take so quick the other four all half-expected to see her head pop off. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA! I'm not your 'Mom'. That's…just not possible…it's ridiculous."

For once, Ron appeared more rational. "Uh, KP, you do have to admit she has pretty good resemblance to you. Put either a red wig on her or a blonde wig on you and you two could be twins. And you do tend to talk the same."

Kim was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea. Her mind was racing, searching for anything that would provide a more rational explanation. One explanation made some sense, but only if that villainess had managed to coerce some guy into getting the same radical procedure she'd had done by that rogue plastic surgeon.

"Maybe its Camille in disguise?" she supplied weakly, her voice not even convincing herself.

Xander shook his head and placed his hand on June's shoulder. "I told you your dad would accept it easier than your mother."

June, on the other hand, felt somewhat crushed by Kim's defense. She had known that her mom was going to have a hard time accepting what was going on, especially with the trouble she knew the shape-shifting former heiress had already caused her still young parents. And granted it was a lot to take in, even if June was pretty sure that Kim already knew Ron was the one she would eventually marry. But still, the mere idea that her own mother was having trouble accepting who she was hurt a lot more than she had expected. If this sitch weren't of the utmost importance, and if Xander hadn't been there, she had a feeling she might have uncharacteristically abandoned the mission right there. As it was, she couldn't stop the watery sheen from invading her eyes.

Whether Kim noticed it or not was never made clear. However, the red-head did appear to be trying to come to terms with the situation.

"Okay, Wade. Say you are telling the truth. How can you prove they are who they say they are? Or better yet, how can they?"

"Because, Kim, they know things they couldn't be aware of unless their story is true," Wade said with a completely straight face. "Things that only the three of us, and maybe Monique, know about."

"Okay, but I'm still not fully convinced this sitch is on the up and up."

Though the holo-Wade merely continued to stare at her with a straight face, she was surprised to hear Wade's voice in her ear. It was only then that she realized she was still wearing the Kimmunicator's Bluetooth headset. And what he said caused her to blush redder than Ron's favorite jersey from her neck all the way to the roots of her hair.

"And because June knows all about certain things you own that you've only told Monique about at this point. And I even had to confirm it with Mon as soon as they told me. Things that have to do with what you eventually want to happen with Ron on your wedding night, or maybe before then."

As she tried to reign in her blushing, Kim nervously rubbed her abdomen at the precise spot where she had nearly been sucked into a vortex created by embarrassment. During her sophomore year, Drakken had sprayed her with a serum made from the pollen of the rare Amazonian Aurora Orchid. The stuff had the effect of causing a person's desire to disappear in humiliating situations to come true, and Drakken's plan had come very close to succeeding. Of course it hadn't helped that Kim had been unable to control herself and stay home when Josh Mankey asked her out on their first date. Things had been made even more difficult by the interference of Drakken and Shego, who had done all they could to make sure that _every_ uncomfortable problem that could occur on a date had happened. Even the Tweebs had gotten in on the action, though they had been unaware that the mortifying situations were slowly vanishing their sister from existence. As it was, Kim had been reduced all the way to a mere head with no mouth before Ron managed to bring a sample of the flower back and waft the pollen over to her, causing her to sneeze and reappear instantly.

Kim couldn't hold back a nervous laugh at the thought that, if the stuff were still in her system, she would have gone from fully there to completely gone in less than a second. After all, it was true: Kim did own a few "very special" unmentionables that only Ron would ever see. The only reason Monique knew about them was she had been with Kim on that particular trip to the mall, and had helped her friend pick out colors that flattered her even more than the barely-there things already did. She'd also been there as a sort of moral support when a slightly embarrassed Kim had gotten one item in particular personalized with monogramming. If Wade knew about that, it was only a matter of time before it slipped out to Ron. The two had gotten much closer as friends after the whole Cupid Ray fiasco, and Wade had even joined Ron and Felix on several of their more recent "guy's night out" excursions. Evidently though, even if the holo-Wade was looping, the real thing was still watching her, because he immediately said the best thing she could hope to hear from him at that moment.

"Don't worry, Kim. Monique already swore me to complete secrecy, and said she'd kill me if she ever found out I told Ron."

Kim relaxed immediately, though she could tell there were still flames to her cheeks. Trust Monique to pull something like that for her BFF. Ron didn't appear to notice, thankfully, but June was looking at her with a knowing yet apologetic smile on her face. She mouthed "sorry" at her, and Kim realized that the young woman hadn't wanted Wade to have to use that bit of information to prove that what they were saying was the truth. But what finally clinched it for her that June was in fact her daughter was the way the girl cocked her head to the side and shrugged when she said it. It was a mirror image of the move she had pulled with Ron every single time she'd had to break plans because Josh or Eric or somebody else asked her out unexpectedly. The gesture had been inherited from seeing her own mother do it more times than she could count, and Carmichael women were the only ones Kim had ever seen pull it in that exact manner.

"Okay, so if you two are from our future, what are you doing here in the present? What's the sitch?"

Xander groaned good-naturedly. "Man, you Stoppable women and that phrase. It's your response to everything."

Ron grinned, already noticing the major spark that existed between the two "kids." If this situation was for real and he was right, he was most likely talking to his daughter's current boyfriend. Maybe they were more, but Ron didn't really want to think that far ahead right now…

"Get used to it, my man. Those words are more likely to come out Kim's mouth, and I suspect June's as well, than the word 'Hello'."

Kim rolled her eyes at that, even though she knew it was true. It was actually a rarity that they didn't have at least one mission a week nowadays, what with how popular and well-known they'd become. Of course, they weren't all evil-genius-fighting, world saving globetrotter trips, but it did seem the hits on the site had been picking up more so lately. She suspected that was going to be even more of a case this summer, what with people picking up the pieces from the Lorwardian attack. She just hoped they didn't have to turn anyone down due to the strains of time constraint they were sure to face this summer.

"Okay," she said after a minute. "Before we go any further, we have to establish something right off the bat. I'm Kim, and he's Ron. No more calling us 'Mom,' 'Dad,' or 'the Stoppables.' Deal?"

June smiled. "Deal. Besides, I was having a hard time with that anyway since I'm technically older than you right now."

Ron blinked. "Older? You look like you're still a teenager to me."

"I am, but I'm already 18. Kim doesn't turn 18 for a few weeks, right?"

"May 31st, that's right," replied Kim. She was inwardly shocked she hadn't realized her birthday was less than three weeks away. The only explanation she could come up with was that the Lorwardian attack had probably pushed it right out of her mind.

In typical fashion of course, Ron agreed and kept going. "Right. And you were the result of your parents taking advantage of August 25th being National Kiss-and-Make-Up Day to make up after that fight about which of the Tri-Cities to live in."

Kim and June were both instantly mortified, and Wade and Xander both got flabbergasted looks on their faces. The result was a nice, loud, four-person chorus of surprised voices accosting the offender.

"RON!"

Xander broke the uncomfortable ice quickly. "Anyways, the reason we're here is that we're chasing a villain from our time that is here to change the future to an alternate one where he has a lot more power. And the only way to do that is to have the version of him from this time mess with a crucial event that will occur soon and change your lives forever."

Kim nodded. "Okay. So we stop him before he interferes, and the sitch is done."

June shook her head. "I wish it were that simple. But if it were, we wouldn't have contacted you. After all, this isn't the first time we've had to correct something. Although it's never been this big a sitch before."

Ron scratched his head. "What do you mean?"

Xander looked around quickly. "We'd tell you more right now, but we need to get to someplace secure before we can. If he learns we're on to him, this whole mission will be blown. And trust me when I say you do NOT want that sitch to come about."

Kim put her hand to her chin. "Well, we obviously can't go back to Ron's house. I don't think our parents would be too thrilled to run into their granddaughter right now when Ron and I haven't even started college yet. Even if you are from the future."

"Definitely," agreed June. "According to these Chaos Calculators that Wade installed into our Kimmunicator 7s, the less people we interact with the better. We've already slightly altered the time stream just by being here, and that whole 'squash an ant' theory is pretty much spot on."

Ron glanced at the box of recovered Team Possible technology. "Well, we can cover our extended absence by saying we had to go after someone who stole some of the gadgets we recovered here."

Wade smiled a bit, although there was a hint of nervousness. "I would suggest you come by my house, but Monique's here, and she's not really ready to have Kim or Ron see her the way she is right now."

Kim felt a renewed surge of curiosity. Again she wondered why Monique was staying at Wade's house when her house was in the part of Middleton that wasn't damaged. And why did she now not want to talk to or see her personally declared BFF Kim at the moment? For some reason, it didn't hit Kim until that moment that she had only actually been to Monique's house once, the night of the Halloween party and Centurion Project mess during her freshman year. Not only that, she had never met either of the girl's parents or heard her talk about them that much. For a strange moment she got a weird memory of Monique mentioning that her dad played golf, and that was why she wasn't initially scared of Duff Killigan and his exploding golf balls. Then Kim got a major headache that quickly disappeared, and the memory disappeared right along with it, almost as if it had never existed in the first place.

"Maybe you could call in a favor?" suggested Xander.

Kim shook her head. "No, that wouldn't work. Favors are pretty much for rides only unless we agreed otherwise with the person who's offering them."

Fishing for ideas, Ron supplied, "Maybe we could ask Hego and the others if we could use Go Tower? That would give you two a place to stay as well."

Xander immediately shot that idea down. "Stay with my uncles? Are you kidding me? I like them and all, but five minutes in the presence of Uncle Hector or Uncle Melvin is already more than I can generally stand, and that's with them being mellowed with age."

"Uncle Hector and Uncle Melvin?" Kim asked confusedly. Then it dawned on her who he was talking about. "Oh, you're referring to Hego and Mego."

June nodded. "Yeah, in our time they generally prefer if we call them by their real names unless they're in uniform."

Ron snapped his fingers in triumph. "I knew it! You're Shego's son!"

Xander grimaced and shook his head yes. "Yes, Sheila Go Lipsky is my mother. I knew powering up like that was going to give me away. And yes, Andrew Lipsky, a.k.a. Dr. Drakken, is my father. Though I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't tell them yet. If they knew, things would fall apart before they get a good foothold. Their relationship right now is…tumultuous at best. It's going to be a little bit before they hit the point where I'm safe."

"Boo Yeah! I told you, Kim." He had a smug look on his face that Kim would have thought roguishly handsome had they not been trying to deal with an obvious crisis.

"Yes, but back on topic," observed Kim, "we have to find some place for you two to stay low and keep your cover. Like you said, if this guy you're chasing happens to find out you two are here, this whole sitch will blow up in our faces."

It was quickly turning into a problem. All five were racking their brains to find a solution, but nothing anybody came up with worked any better than what had been suggested. After a bit, Wade looked off to the side for minute, and though his lips moved, they couldn't hear what he was saying. Then he turned back towards them.

"Hey, I just talked to Monique, and she said go ahead and come over, just don't ask a lot of questions about her or her situation right now."

As it was the best plan they'd come up with so far, they all agreed. Kim and Ron climbed into the Sloth and used the videophone to inform their parents there was a mission to take care of before they could come home, and to not wait up. Both mothers told them to be careful, and both fathers told them to not worry about any sort of curfew. Once the call was done, Xander and June, who had stayed outside to keep from being seen by their grandparents, climbed into the back seat. Kim gave what June termed the "mom eye" when she noticed the two didn't immediately buckle up, but they passed it off as being used to future cars having features like automatic seatbelts. Kim wasn't sure she believed them, and made a mental note to later write a physical note to remind herself to keep an eye on her daughter's habits once she became a teenager.

The drive over to Wade's house took little more than ten minutes, but the time dragged due to the uncomfortable situation of having nothing that could be said safely. Once there, Kim immediately noticed something was off. There were Wade's parents' cars, and there was Monique's little compact and her brother's beat up old truck, but nothing else. She tried to chalk it up to Monique's parents' cars being destroyed in the invasion, but for some reason it kept splintering in the back of her mind. What was the sitch with Monique, and why was Kim getting this weird feeling that there were secret aspects to her best friend's life that had never been shared with anyone? Wanting to honor the young woman's request for no questions, Kim forced herself to shove the sensation to the back of her mind for later discussion.

However, despite that resolve, entering the Load household simply brought up more questions and stronger feelings that something wasn't quite right. Monique's family was only using two of the Load's three guestrooms, and Kim knew full well from what Monique had said that, even though she and her brother cared about each other a great deal, they couldn't stand to share rooms with each other. Again, Kim mentally strengthened her determination to not question her friend about it. She merely hugged her tight, noticing that Monique held the hug a bit longer than normal. Then the girl simply returned to the room she was using and shut the door. A million questions pelted Kim's mind, but she held them all at bay.

Wade led them into the holo-cube in his basement bedroom, which he had already configured to display a cross between a briefing room and a comfortable sitting room. There were several comfy chairs arranged around a round table, as well as a digital projector and screen with audio and video already set up. As they all sat down on the comfy chairs, Kim asked what was up with the equipment, and Wade pointed at June and Xander.

"They asked me to set it up. Said they had visual aids to help explain things."

June reached into the pack she had and pulled out a disc that was just slightly smaller than a normal CD. "Was your future self right in thinking you can play this with your current technology? It runs on your Mission Projector 4.0 program"

Wade nodded. "Actually, I'm already up to using 6.0, so it shouldn't be a problem."

June appeared visibly relieved, and she pulled out another disc the same size. "That's good. I actually have one here that's formatted for version 6.0 if that would be better."

Wade took the disc from her and inserted it into the player. The screen immediately lit up, and an older version of Wade appeared on it, this one much taller and muscular than his current stature. Again, Kim got a ferociously bad headache that disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. Looking over at Ron, she realized he was having the same problem. When the older Wade spoke, his voice was rich and deep, and it had a laughing quality to it.

"To my younger self, and hopefully to Kim and Ron if June and Xander have been successful in following the order necessary for this to work, I apologize for pulling you away from putting your lives back together. I know this isn't the best time, what with the clean-up from the Lorwardian attack, but we three know that villainy never was considerate of our personal troubles or trying times. And unfortunately, perhaps the biggest threat Team Possible has ever faced is about to make itself known. I wouldn't have sent Xander and June back in time again if I didn't think it absolutely necessary, and I wish this mission could have been accomplished without involving you. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In just a minute, I'm going to pause so that my present-day self can have a chance to explain Project: Gemini Chronos."

As he said it, the words, "PROJECT: GEMINI CHRONOS" appeared on the screen as the first entry in a bright red bullet list.

"Also, with Xander and June's help, you also need to inform Kim and Ron of the details concerning the two missions you also classified in the Chronos file, Profile: Rewriting History and Profile: Sitch in Time."

The words, "MISSION PROFILE: REWRITING HISTORY" and "MISSION PROFILE: SITCH IN TIME" each joined the red bullet list as entries.

"I realize that means you're going to have to tell Kim about that, Wade, but this is of the utmost importance. Once you've completed these tasks, and Xander and June are satisfied that Kim and Ron are up to speed, press play to continue the disc. And please hurry. We don't have much time if my calculations are correct."

Kim looked over at Wade. She knew that Wade kept mission profiles on all their missions in case they needed to reference back to them for current ones, but she had never heard of these two, or of any projects that concerned their missions. This sitch was becoming more and more mysterious, and evidently things Wade had kept from her and Ron were just the beginning. And what had Future Wade meant when he said, "tell Kim about that"? Then she remembered that morning at Global Justice. He hadn't…

"Wade, what's going on here?" she asked, turning towards him with a seriously tweaked expression on her face.

Wade held up his hands in defense. "Now Kim, I only did it to keep you safe, same as Ron. It was only there in case one or both of you were incapacitated and I needed to give your rescue exact coordinates."

"WADE…"

He recoiled just a bit. "Ron's not the only one chipped. You are as well. But it was only intended as a safety measure. I never had them recording when you weren't on a mission or in a serious predicament."

Ron was puzzled. "What's he talking about, KP? What does 'chipped' mean?"

Kim turned towards him with a smile. "We both have a mini-microchip of Wade's design somewhere on us. It provides 3-D GPS coordinates on us at all times so that Wade can track us. I knew you still had one, but I didn't know I had one, or that it was even active."

Ron's eyes got wide. "You've been having me tracked? For how long?"

Kim suddenly felt very worried about how Ron was going to react. "Since Halloween our Freshmen Year, when Duff Killigan kidnapped you so he could bargain with me for the Centurion Project. I got worried what would happen if something like that but more serious took place, so I had Wade rig up a mini-chip that I slipped into one of your Nacos a week later."

"And I wondered what would happen if Kim were the one kidnapped and missing, so I had Ned slip one into her veggie taco salad that same day," added Wade.

Kim turned to give Wade a quick smile to show she understood. Then she turned towards Ron, who still hadn't said anything yet.

"You know, Ron, that chip is actually a good thing. It was part of the reason Kim was able to find and then help you on the 'Gorilla Fist' mission," interjected June.

Ron leaned in closer to Kim, and she felt like a bug under a microscope. At least she did until he spoke.

"Considering you did it because you were worried about me, I think that has got to be one of the best things you've ever done for me. Mind if I keep you around for a while?" He smiled and then kissed her, a soft, lingering kiss that made her heart melt, his hands cupping the back of her head and running gently through her hair.

"Couldn't get rid of me if you tried, Ronnie," she said when they finally broke for air.

"Guys, focus here," Wade interrupted.

"Sure thing, Wade," Kim replied as smoothed her hair from where Ron had run his fingers through it.

Wade took a deep breath. "Okay then. First things first—Project: Gemini Chronos. After the Zorpox incident, I realized that it could have very easily been Kim who was the one who had been turned evil, which would have been a lot harder to deal with. Even more so if both of you had been turned. I also realized that it was entirely conceivable that whoever was turned evil could end up killing the other. So I devised a back-up plan should it ever come to that. In theory, I would find someone I trusted completely to go back in time and stop the events that turned you towards the path of malevolence. I called it 'Gemini Chronos' because it was in effect an idea to erase an evil twin from history. However, I never told you about it because without the ability of time travel, it was just a theory. Evidently, by the time in history that Xander and June are from, time travel has been discovered."

He turned towards the two. "Everything right so far?"

June nodded. "So far so good."

"So which of us gets turned evil?" asked Ron.

Xander shook his head. "Unfortunately, our Wade told us that you have to see it on the video. Otherwise we risk exposing our cover and messing up our timeline."

Neither Kim nor Ron was happy with that answer, but unfortunately they had no choice but to agree. They turned back towards Wade.

Wade shrugged and continued. "Now for the importance of the chips. I have them set up to automatically download mission results to my computer after each mission before they shut down. During your sophomore year at Middleton, there were two instances where a mission profile was sent to my system even though no time had passed and no mission had occurred."

"Weird," was the only response Kim could come up with.

Wade nodded. "I agree. The first time this happened was shortly after the first cheer practice you two had that year, and I deemed it _Mission Profile: Sitch in Time_. The mission specs I received on that one dealt with something called the Tempus Simia idol that allowed Drakken, Shego, Monkey Fist, and Duff Killigan to travel into your past and future and mess with the timeline. Basically, they attempted to take you out before you could grow into the skills that would let you defeat them. But it failed because you were alerted to the problem by a talking future descendant of Rufus. However, Shego realized that the two of you worked well together, so she went back to that point and split you up, sending Ron to Norway. That splitting of Team Possible allowed for the original successful stealing of the Tempus Simia idol, which also led to Shego taking control of the world. But you two then went to the future and stopped her. In the process, you smashed the idol, which snapped you right back to the walk home you had been on immediately after that cheer practice."

"When I said I hate meat cakes!" exclaimed Ron as he caught on.

"Exactly," Wade responded.

"I still don't get that," replied Kim. "You've never even had meat cakes."

"That's just the point," said Wade. "Ron has had both meat cakes and lamb cabbage stew. He just doesn't remember having them because in our corrected timeline he never moved to Norway and had to eat them."

Kim made a connection to this. "Wait, is that where these ferocious headaches keep coming from? Like, is there a mission that Monique went on because Ron was stuck in Norway? Where she and I went up against Killigan?"

"That's right," said June. "And if you were to ask her about it, she'd probably tell you that she get those headaches and disappearing memories as well. It's one of the effects of time travel and timeline switching. Though I suspect hers are more like minor twinges than actual headaches, simply because her present-day self wasn't involved in correcting the timeline."

"Makes sense…I guess," Kim said, fishing for something to grasp about the sitch. It made sense in talk, but in her head all it was turning into was one big jumbled mess.

"Anyways," added Xander. "After we learned about that one, we went back to before those four stole the body from the Tri-City Museum and 'appropriated' it. Did the same thing with the head from that temple in the Australian outback, and took them with us to the future so the events would never exist."

"Appropriated?" Kim asked with raised eyebrows.

June shook her hands. "Don't worry, Kim. We didn't steal it from them. We simply explained that it was important to return it where it belonged, and paid them ten times what they had paid for it. They accepted it pretty easy, actually."

"But Wade said the timeline was fixed when the idol was smashed…why fix something that was already fixed?" Ron asked with a questioningly pointed look.

"True, but according to our timeline, the Tempus Simia still existed," Xander replied. "You two found the head on another mission as a side item. Wade studied it, and that's where time travel originated. We simply removed it from this time and moved it forward to the point in history where you would find it. That, if our Wade's data is right, won't happen for several years. Basically, we caused the idol to jump forward in time to a point where it wouldn't threaten all existence."

Kim wasn't entirely satisfied with this explanation. There had to be more to this story, but she figured she would let it slide for now.

"Okay. So what about the other mission?" asked Ron.

Wade scratched his head. "_Mission Profile: Rewriting History_ is slightly more mysterious. Do you remember a trip to the Middleton History Museum at the end of that same school year?"

Kim thought for a moment. "Not really…wait! The field trip where our clothes changed!"

"Yeah, what the heck was up with that?" quipped Ron.

"According to the mission profile sent to my computer, the two of you not only saved the entire Tri-City area from a massive explosion, you also proved that Kim's great-aunt, Miriam "Mim" Possible, didn't actually steal the Electrostatic Illuminator from the Tri-City Expo a hundred years ago."

Kim was confused. "But that's impossible. We already knew she didn't do it because Ron's great-uncle Johnathon Stoppable proved it by finding the device in the Taco Stand. It was his first big case."

Wade shook his head. "Not according to the mission recorders in your chips. Based on what they sent back to my computer that day, you and Ron proved she didn't do it when you found the device in the Taco Stand at the Middleton Museum's Expo Exhibit. Then it was stolen by Dr. Drakken and Shego in their hovercraft, but you rescued them shortly before it exploded."

"Wait," said Ron, shaking his head in confusion. "One of the things that made great-uncle John's career was proving Mim's innocence when everyone else had her pegged as a thief. It's one of the reason's he's always part of the Middleton Police Department's float at every Middleton Days festival. How could he do that if we were the ones who found the thing?"

"Actually, Ron," answered Xander, "we're also the ones responsible for that little conundrum. See, that was our first time travel mission. Prior to our…interference, if you will, Mim was considered the black sheep of the Possible family. However, we already knew about it because you told us about that mission. Anyways, my parents, who are much different people from the ones you know, said they wanted us to fix the timeline so that it was proven that Bartholomew Lipsky and Miss Go were the ones who tried to steal the device, not Mim."

Kim felt her jaw drop, and also noticed that Ron and Wade had identical expressions to hers. Drakken and Shego had done something nice for the Possible family, all while knowing they probably wouldn't get credit for it?

"Why would they do that?" Kim's voice squeaked out.

This time it was June who responded. "They had their reasons, Kim. Like Xander said, the Andrew Lipsky and Sheila Go-Lipsky you currently know are nothing like the ones that we know. People change if you give them a chance. Anyways, we came to this time and followed your mission up to the point that we found out where the device was hidden. Then we knocked you out and took you back to the point in the field trip where Mr. Barkin woke you up and propped you up, so you would think you had been asleep. Then we used a device on you that alters memories so that the person thinks it was just a weird dream. Then we went back a hundred more years and left clues for great-great-uncle John so that he would find it in the taco stand. Though we had to leave more than normally allowed, he did eventually catch on and find the device. When he did, his detective career took off, and the rest as they say is history. The only problem is that when we altered your memories so you wouldn't remember it, we forgot to put you back in the clothes you wore the day of the field trip. Luckily you didn't fret too much over it, so we decided to leave it alone before we messed something else up."

"But what about that whole 'squash an ant' idea you were talking about back at my house?" asked Kim. "How did you know you weren't fixing something that was supposed to remain messed up?"

June held up her wrist, showing what looked like a much sleeker and far more advanced version of Kim's wrist Kimmunicator. "Used a program in these. And since Wade's already written a prototype for it, I can tell you what it is. The program is known as a Chaos Calculator, and contains everything that ever happened in history. If you want to know what ramifications a particular action will have, you simply input it into the C.C., and it uses multiple logs and history studies to calculate what will happen."

Her blue-green skinned companion joined in. "Say for example, we had fought earlier, and one of you had sustained some sort of injury. The C.C. would have immediately input that into the established chronological progression, and calculated the new future we would face when we got back. That's why we have a specific order we have to do things in. If we do even one thing out of order, the entire timeline could be messed up, meaning that even the smallest change could result in either of us not existing."

"So why bring us in on this?" Kim observed. "Wouldn't that mess with the timeline as well?"

June sighed. "Actually, this is the only way to fix things without alerting the villain we're chasing to our presence. Also, if you guys try to fix what he's going to change, it leads to the dystopian future we're trying to prevent from occurring. So if we warn you about it now, we can do what we have to in order to prevent it."

"'What you have to'? What does that mean?" Ron asked.

June got a slightly pained look on her face. "The only way to stop him is to let him succeed, and fix it after the fact."

"WHAT?" Wade's voice carried a complete and utter disbelief. "You actually _want_ him to win and bring _that_ about?"

It dawned on Kim that Wade already knew the supposed "great disaster" that June and Xander had come back to prevent. She also realized that, for reasons known only to them and to him, he hadn't yet told her and Ron what it was. Though he clearly wanted to, they had obviously warned him against revealing anything about it. What could be so ferociously horrible that there was hesitation when it came to telling her and Ron what was going on?

Xander stood up, his fists clenched, though thankfully not yet glowing. "Hey, don't take it out on her! You're the one who gave us that very specific instruction! If we stop him beforehand, he simply goes back in time again, this time more guarded against our interference, and teams up with his present-day self again. And if that happens, we fail every time we try to fix it. His future self has to think they've succeeded, and then you can apprehend his present-day version after his future self has already gone back to our time. Then we go back to our time and apprehend that version as soon as he appears so he can't undo the fix."

Kim put her hand to her chin. "So who is this guy you're after? If we get tabs on him now…"

"Then you alert him to our plan. In your words, 'We're being sneaky'," interrupted June.

Ron held out his hands in frustration. "So why even involve us if you can't tell us anything?"

"Guys, I think Kim and Ron are ready to see the rest of the disc. It's time they knew what you two are here to try to prevent," Wade piped in. He looked worried yet determined.

However, June merely shook her head. "Sorry, Wade, but that's not possible yet. You were right just now, Wade. Before they see the disc and the explanation of why we're here, they need to know the full sitch. And that means telling them about that."

Xander's look was nothing short of complete shock. "June, No! They have to see it on the disc!"

"Xander, the sitch has changed, if you hadn't noticed!" June snapped. "They weren't supposed to even see us back at Mom's house!"

The young man's rising anger was apparent. "We have a responsibility on this mission to keep the timeline intact! We can't go off doing whatever seems right at the time!"

Ron stood up, and Kim had never seen him so full of contained fury. Well, except for maybe a few days ago against the Lorwardians. In less than a second, he stood between Xander and Julie, facing the young man with a look that would have melted steel.

"I know you have a mission to follow, and I respect that. And I know that technically you have yet to be born. But talk to my daughter like that again, and I will make sure that you never go out on a single date with her."

Ron's hair was starting to wave on its own, and Kim noticed his eyes were flashing back and forth from their normal warm brown to a hard, brilliant blue. She was just about to step in between them when June did it for her.

"DAD! Calm down, NOW!"

Evidently being called "Dad" had the effect of breaking Ron's building rage. "June, he has no right to talk to you like that."

His future daughter stared him down with a look he'd only seen from a severely tweaked Kim, such as when he "borrowed" the battle suit or wouldn't give up his coupon book. "I agree with that, but you can't do anything to him or it might change history. Say you fight him and get hurt. The injury means you can't go on a mission you were supposed to go on. Mom gets hurt because you weren't there to back her up, and can't do a later mission that was supposed to contain a really romantic moment between the two of you that fixes a fight. You break up, and your kids are never born, which includes me. Do you really want that?"

Kim was about to interrupt, but then it hit her—June hadn't said "kid", she had said "kids". They were going to have more than one? Although she'd always enjoyed her own big family, she also knew that world-saving was generally a full-time job. As a result, she'd always assumed they'd have just the one kid. Another thing about it was that June hadn't mentioned which kid she was. What if they messed up and named the kids wrong? Would that change history as well?

Seeing the look on Kim's face jerked Ron back to his girlfriend's side. "KP, what's wrong?"

Kim let her head fall into her hands with her elbows resting on her knees. "Ron, I just realized that everything we say or get them to say is changing the mission aspects they have to follow. We need to just shut up and let them tell us what they can."

Xander also seemed to calm down. "Ron, you're right. I shouldn't talk to June like that, no matter how the sitch changes." Turning towards his companion, he slumped his shoulders. "Sorry about that, June. You're right, they are entitled to know what we're trying to prevent. I just got so caught up in the right way to do things that I got blinded by the mission parameters. Our Wade even told us the best way to go was with the flow. Forgive me?"

June smiled. "No big, X. We're both stressing right now. And you're right; we can't go off doing whatever. We have to keep things in check if we don't want to change things from bad to worse. Forgive me?"

A smile broke out across that blue-green face. "You know it, Jules."

They kissed, and two pairs of eyes looked at their future daughter with warm looks. If this kiss was any sort of indicator of the relationship between Xander and June, how bad could things really be for the future they had ahead of them? But then the same thought hit both of them—if this was what the correct timeline was supposed to lead to, what did the alternate one lead to?

Wade, who hadn't known what to say during the exchange, cleared his throat. "So do you two want to tell them now, or should I press play and continue the disc you brought?"

Xander and June looked at each other for a second, and then June nodded. She turned towards Kim and Ron, a very serious look on her face. It was the kind of look that, had Ron had it on, would have been followed by his telling people to note it.

"What would you two say would be the worst possible sitch for the world to have to deal with?"

Ron immediately supplied his normal answer. "The whole world gets turned into monkeys!"

Kim, sensing the immense gravity of the situation, fought to suppress a giggle. Even as the Supreme Master of Monkey Kung Fu and the destined Monkey Master, her BF still had monkey issues. If that wasn't irony, she didn't know what was. Still, this wasn't the time for that.

"Ron, get serious," she admonished. Then she turned back to June. "Umm, one of the villains surprises us and takes us out before taking over the world?"

June shook her head. "No, go worse."

Ron got a sudden flash of brilliance. "Dr. Cyrus Bortal perfects one of his mind-control devices, and Drakken or someone else uses it to enslave both me and Kim to work for them."

Again, a gesture of negative from the blonde girl. "No, but you're getting close."

Kim was racking her brain, when a thought struck her like a ton of bricks. "Ron goes back to Zorpox, and I'm forced to have to take him out to stop him. But due to our relationship, I can't make myself do it."

This time it was Xander. "No, that's something you could deal with. Though you almost have it."

Ron was suddenly hit with a possibility. It was one of his worst fears, but from the way they were talking, it appeared to be the problem they kept talking about.

"Kim is the one who gets hit with the Attitudinator, turning her evil."

June slowly nodded. "Right. You're sayings about 'I can do anything,' and 'Anything's possible for a Possible?' They apply to taking over the world as well."

Kim shook her head in disbelief. "Me? That's...that's just so ferociously wrong. I would never do something like that!"

June eyed her with a pointed look. "Prior to that whole mess with Team Go and Electronique, wouldn't you have said it was impossible for you and Shego to ever be friends?"

As much as Kim wanted to answer in the negative, she knew she honestly couldn't. "No, I don't suppose so."

Xander sighed. "And I would think the whole Zorpox sitch would have convinced you two that either of you could be converted to evil if that machine managed to flip-flop your personality."

Ron grimaced at the mention of his alter-ego. This whole sitch was bringing new light on just whose voice he was hearing when he had succumbed to his rage while in full-powered Monkey Mode. He made a mental note to speak with Sensei as soon as he possibly could. If that megalomaniac version of himself got out, with full Monkey power, there was no telling what would happen. For a second, he debated telling Kim his suspicions, but decided it was maybe better to confirm things with Sensei first. No need to worry Kim when he wasn't even entirely sure about the sitch himself.

Suddenly, Kim thought of something. "But wait, the Attitudinator helmet was destroyed on that mission shortly after it made Shego revert back to evil. How could it still be used if it's destroyed?"

June stared at her with a look of disbelief. "Kim, I know Ron can be dense, but think…who originally came up with that machine?"

Kim's eyes narrowed. "Jack Hench and Hench Co. They still have the blueprints for it, don't they?"

Xander nodded. "And pretty soon, they are going to have a couple of very interested legitimate buyers. Buyers who are going to want Team Possible's help."

Ron tilted his head to the side, a confused look on his face. "Umm, none of the people who generally deal with Hench Co. have ever been that interested in procuring our help. They normally want more Henchmen to help stop us. Who could possibly have business with both Jack Hench and us?"

Kim was equally as lost. "I have to agree with Ron on this one. Jack Hench has even asked us a few times to test the recruits that are fresh out of his latest training programs."

Xander frowned. "June, I think we're going to have go to Plan B on this."

June sighed. "I guess you're right, X." She turned towards Wade. "Wade, would you mind if we stayed here in holo-cube for a while?"

Now Kim was even more puzzled. "Wait, what's going on?"

June looked at her. "I'm afraid that, until you figure out who would want to both buy an Attitudinator and ask for help from Team Possible, we can't tell you anymore. Otherwise, we jeopardize our mission."

"You mean…" said Ron.

"Yes," replied June. "Until this sitch is clearer to the two of you, we can't tell you anything else."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N

Chapter 5 is here!

A glimpse into the world of two key players, and the decision that will change things between them.

Also, the secret behind one character's behavior is revealed.

And finally, Kim and Ron get closer to getting the answers they need. But while doing that, they face an "evil" they never expected.

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

Now Kim was even more puzzled. "Wait, what's going on?"

June looked at her. "I'm afraid that, until you figure out who would want to both buy an Attitudinator and ask for help from Team Possible, we can't tell you anymore. Otherwise, we jeopardize our mission."

"You mean…" said Ron.

"Yes," replied June. "Until this sitch is clearer to the two of you, we can't tell you anything else."

* * *

How could she have been so stupid? Things had been going at a comfortable pace since the fight with the Lorwardians, and then she had to go and do _that _last night! Hell, they'd just started dating officially, and already things had progressed to a point she wasn't ready for by any means. Oh sure, she'd faced down some of the toughest members of the world's criminal element without flinching. She'd taken on some of the planet's best law enforcement without batting an eyelash or even getting a single bead of perspiration. She had even sat through her oldest brother's ridiculous hour-long debriefings while he rambled on about that stupid "Go-operation" of his. But she had never once in her life ever expected to rush things this quickly.

She stood at the sink in her personal bathroom, her smudged black lipstick and mussed hair giving full testament to exactly what she had done the night before. It wasn't like it was the first time she'd ever done it, but last night carried so much more meaning than all those crazy flings she'd had during her vacations from his employ. Then there was the fact that it had happened with him. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, there was a definite attraction to him that she had always done her best to hide. She had also ridiculed the idea any time anyone brought it up, using whatever excuse she could to divert the idea from the front of her mind.

However, something had been different recently. Maybe it was the fact that Warmonga had thrown it directly in her face, or that Warhok had noticed it too, even though it was the first time she'd ever met him. Or maybe it was the whole awards hullabaloo at the U.N. when that man had gotten his award and she'd subsequently found herself tied to him via that vine that now spurted out of his neck. It could have even been the previous morning when they'd both been informed by Global Justice and the two teen heroes that their threat level had been reduced, which meant that they wouldn't be checked on as much. The ride back to the Caribbean island where they were currently based had certainly been interesting. After only a few minutes of silence, he'd asked if she would mind having a nice dinner with him that night, and maybe doing a little dancing in the "hearth room" – that was what they called the room in the living area of the base where the fireplace was.

Maybe it was the spark between them being thrown in her face all week, or maybe it was simply the fact that he had actually asked her out on a normal, everyday date. Whatever it was, she had agreed before she realized what she was doing. The rest of the ride back, while relatively short since they were in one of the faster hovercraft they owned, was filled with small talk and discussions about dinner that night. When they had arrived, he'd made the surprising suggestion that they split until that evening so that they could each get ready. Again, she'd found herself agreeing before she could stop herself, and had been unable to remove the bounce from her step that appeared as she walked towards her personal quarters.

She'd spent the next few hours unexpectedly agonizing over what to wear. And although she had told herself she didn't want things to progress that far, it had seemed she spent the most time fretting about what lingerie to wear underneath her dress. For some reason, she had spent nearly two hours trying on every single lacy thing she had a dozen times while modeling them in front of the mirror. When she'd finally decided on something, she'd spent another hour and a half deciding on a dress, which shouldn't have been that hard considering she maybe only owned fifteen total dresses. Well, more if you counted the countless mini-dresses she had mainly for seduction-based infiltration, but somehow she knew she wanted to wear something elegant for this dinner. Her make-up was much easier, considering she had long ago learned of only two combinations that flattered her mint-green skin. She had decided to go with her traditional black lipstick and dark green eye shadow, though she had noticed that she was paying much more attention to the detail of putting it on than normal.

He'd surprised her yet again when he'd come up to her room and knocked politely at her door at promptly 7:00 PM. She'd half expected to see him in that blue lab coat he liked so much, or god forbid that horrible suit he'd worn so much during his time as president of Bueno Nacho during the Lil' Diablos scheme. However, he was sharply dressed in a very nice, white suit jacket with black pants. The outfit actually reminded her very much of the tuxedo that Synthodrone #901 had worn to the prom as the Princess's date. Somehow, the thought of the girl, and subsequently her boyfriend, and the two of them happy together, hadn't irked her nearly as much as it normally would have. Rather it had given her confidence in the guy before her—if the buffoon and the cheerleader could make things work when they were so obviously mismatched, then maybe there was a chance that things between her and this man could become something deeper than merely the employer/employee relationship they'd always had.

The dinner they'd had was nice—some sort of bird that melted in her mouth with every bite, and some very nice red wine, followed by one of the moistest, richest cakes she'd ever tasted. Even the table setting had been nice. He'd dug out some polished silver candlesticks and some rich, red candles and placed them in the center of the table, though there was plenty of room for them to look across the table at each other. The conversation had been pleasant as well, and she'd found it odd how much they really didn't know about each other, and as such just how much they really did have in common. The music choices had of course been known from their numerous karaoke nights, but what surprised her most was how closely their movie and book choices seemed to mirror each other. Both loved a good romantic comedy, and tended to hate the typical teen movie. They'd even had a few laughs talking about some of the more ridiculous teen-drama shows that the networks were coming up with.

When they'd finished eating and the small talk started to dry up, it was close to 8:30. He'd turned the stereo to a soft pop/soul station, and asked her to dance. Though there had been some rather upbeat songs, it seemed all they both wanted to do was slow dance. So they had, and before they knew it was almost 11:30. He'd asked her in a timid voice if she wanted to continue, as if expecting her to say no. She had of course agreed to keep going, and he's surprised her with their first official kiss. As they'd come up for air, she had found herself admiring just how handsome that pale blue face was. Even that scar he'd picked up the same day as the skin pigmentation only served to further enhance his roguish good looks. They'd then spent the entirety of the next two songs with their lips pressed together. Surprisingly, she found him to be an exceptional kisser. Or maybe it was just that she'd never actually felt a kiss so filled with attraction and, possibly, love.

She suspected that was where the wine had started to kick in. Before either of them had realized it, they were back at her room. His room was constantly cluttered with various world domination plans and gizmos, so they had known that wouldn't do. She'd pulled off his jacket and shirt slowly, kissing his neck and chest as she did. In short order, her dress followed, and make out that followed made it clearly evident what they both wanted. He'd surprised her even more when he'd pulled off a move that she'd thought was only a rumor—the one-handed removal of her top. At that point, she'd lost herself in the moment, and the rest of the night was fuzzy due to the effects of the wine that now had her in a hangover-induced fog. All she knew for certain was that their relationship had progressed to that point, mainly because she'd woken up still in his arms, with all their clothes scattered around the room. Realizing this, she'd bolted awake and ran towards her bathroom, slamming the door hard in her panic.

Now she was standing in front of her mirror, trying to rationalize what she'd done.

_Stupid!_

There was slight knock on the door. "Shego?" it asked timidly. Evidently, he half-expected her to plasma-blast him out of the room as she'd done so many times when he accidentally walked in on her in sort of state of undress.

_Ignore it,_ she told herself. _Ignore him and it'll go away. It'll be like it never happened._

"Sheila?"

The use of her real name instead of her professional name snapped her to attention.

"Are you okay?" He sounded genuinely worried.

"I'm fine," she said after a few minutes. "Just give me a sec. And hand me one of my bathrobes, if you wouldn't mind."

There was nothing but silence for a moment, and she started to think he'd collected his things and left. Unexpected tears started to form in her eyes. Her right hand flared up and she was about to smash a hole in the wall in frustration when there was a knock at the bathroom door. Then a light-blue hand entered slowly, holding out her favorite sea-foam green soft cotton robe. How he could have picked that one out of the dozen she owned was a mystery to her, but it still touched her in a way she hadn't expected. She quickly calmed her fist, slipped on the robe, and opened the door.

He was sitting there on the edge of her bed in his boxers, a look she couldn't describe on his face. It was somewhere between being completely lost and surprised wonderment. Somehow, she suspected she wasn't the only one surprised by the events of the previous night. When she sat down beside him, he flinched slightly but quickly recovered, his hand reaching over for hers. She let him take it, and mirrored his turning towards her slightly.

"Umm, Shego…"

She put her free hand gently on his cheek. "Call me Sheila," she said softly.

He seemed to relax a bit. "Umm, okay, Sheila. I…" He seemed at a loss for what to say.

Shego smiled a small smile. "You're worried what I'm thinking about last night, aren't you, Dr. D.?"

Drakken nodded. That had been exactly what he was thinking. It struck him just how many times this beautiful woman was able to read his innermost thoughts so accurately.

"Actually, yes. It's not that I haven't thought about us…this…but I…"

"Didn't think it would go that far that quick, right, Dr. D.?"

"Exactly," he said as squeezed her hand a little tighter. "Oh, and please call me Andy."

Shego blinked a few times. "But I thought your name was Drew?"

Drakken shook his head. "Mother calls me that because I'm named after my father, and his name was Andrew. She also calls me that because she doesn't like to mention him since he left her when she was pregnant with me."

"I never knew that," she replied in disbelief.

Drakken shrugged. "It's not that a big a deal. I never met him, and I don't even know what kind of person he was. The only confirmation I've even got that he's still alive is the occasional birthday card sent to her house that I can get to before she burns it. Anyways, I just decided that I'd go by Andy recently."

"Andy, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. But what about you?"

Shego looked down at their entwined hands. "Well, I will admit I was surprised by the dinner and dancing last night. And I think we did take too much advantage of the wine. But I'm not going to go so far as to say I regret anything about what happened. I mean, we obviously had fun."

Drakken smiled. "Well, that is good. I was a little afraid you wouldn't like it. I…didn't really have much to go on."

Shego tried unsuccessfully to hide the shock that became plastered to her face. "You mean that last night was your…"

The smile disappeared as Drakken's head drooped. "Yes…it was."

Shego found herself smiling in a huge way. If what she remembered was what he was capable of without any previous experience…

"You know, Doc, I've probably done it more times than I care to count, and I think last night was probably the most enjoyable."

Drakken raised his head a bit. "Why do I sense a 'but' about to follow that statement?"

Shego smiled. "Because you happen to already to have the ability to read my mind. Anyways, last night was good, but I think maybe we should work on the rest of this thing between us before we do that again anytime soon. I'm not too sure how I'd feel if this puttered out because all we had was our bedroom relationship."

Drakken smiled. "Plus, I'd worry about my safety and the stock of the burn supplies in the medic office if that were to happen."

His reward for that comment was a good natured smack upside the head with a pillow.

* * *

For Kim and Ron, the day before had held more questions than answers. First off, there was the strange progress of the meeting with Global Justice and Dr. Betty Director's mysterious warnings about the fallout of the Lorwardian fight, the shifting leadership of G.J., and the college sitch. Then there was Ron's parents asking the Possibles to move in until their house was rebuilt. Follow that with the strange letters from colleges and institutes withdrawing scholarships and invitations that they had both received. Then there was the strange situation with Monique, one of their best friends, for some reason not wanting to talk to either of them. Add in what they had learned (or hadn't learned) about why their future daughter had come back in time with her boyfriend, and their plan for completing this obviously very important mission. Oh, and of course they couldn't forget about Kim's missing battle suit. Stir vigorously, and you had one seriously messed up series of sitches.

The next morning, Kim and Ron had to endure some short-lived ribbing from Jim and Tim about the two of them sleeping under the same roof, but Mr. Dr. Possible put a quick stop to that. Kim found herself wishing that school hadn't been cancelled, but evidently the whole reason that the freshman, sophomores, and juniors left at Middleton had gone the day before had been for Mr. Barkin to make the announcement that classes would be called off for a week while arrangements could be made for temporary classrooms. The Tweebs hadn't been happy to learn that it meant they would also be in school a week longer, but had eventually passed it off as a fair trade for a week off.

Kim also wasn't happy that Wade had made the suggestion the night before that Jim and Tim officially join Team Possible. Of course, they would work their way up to fighting the likes of Dementor, Drakken, and Killigan, just as Kim and Ron had, but she still wasn't happy with the situation. Although, they had proved valuable on the first Camille León mission, Kim felt that they were horning in on her and Ron's territory. The ribbing Ron and her had caught from them this morning certainly hadn't helped.

"I mean, the 'save the world' sitch is our thing," she groused that afternoon as she and Ron sat on the bed in the guest room she was using. "I know they've done some stuff to help out, but I'm not too sure I want them there all the time."

Ron was doing his best to be supportive and show her reason at the same time. "KP, I know that's our time, and I would miss it too. Especially the chilling after a mission. But they were a big help at your Uncle's ranch and during the first Camille case. Not to mention they filled in when we were both sick while trying to protect Ray X. And if it wasn't for that little device they built when you were under the influence of Dr. Drakken's mind control chip, it could have been a really bad sitch. Besides, we don't know that our time schedule will be the same in college that it was at Middleton. Might be a few times where it's handy to have another team to send in instead of us."

Kim grimaced slightly. "I know that, Ron. And it's not like I want to do this forever, although it would be nice to still be able to kick bad guy butt when we're in our 30s, 40s, or maybe even 50s. But still, I just don't feel right about it."

Ron took her hand gently but firmly. "Kim, listen to me. Are you more upset that it's not going to be just us, or the fact that it's Jim and Tim joining us? Cause Wade had another suggestion that he asked me about, and I told him it might not be a good idea."

Kim looked at him. "Who?"

"Joss. Wade figured after the way she handled herself during that fight with Drakken and Shego that maybe we should look into recruiting her into the team."

Kim thought about it for a moment. "Mind if I ask why you didn't like the idea?"

Ron closed his eyes. He'd been hoping to not bring this up, but he'd walked right into it, and there was no backing out now. Kim needed to know this, no matter how much it might hurt.

"Kim, you know I love you and only you, right?"

Kim nodded, and got a funny feeling she knew exactly where this was heading. If she was right, then a serious conversation between her and her younger cousin was needed.

"Kim, Joss's idolizing me has gotten a bit deeper. She contacted me right before the prom our junior year, and asked if we had hooked up yet. When I told her no, she sounded a bit happier than she should have been. She's also sent me a few emails that, quite frankly, weren't entirely appropriate. I finally told her off after the last one, but I don't know that she's given up." Ron's shoulders sagged a bit. "I know I should have told her from the night we started dating that it wasn't going to work between me and her, but I didn't want to hurt her, and I thought she'd back off if I ignored it."

Kim tipped his chin up with her finger. "Ronnie, you haven't done a thing wrong. Okay, yes, you probably should have told her to stop sooner, but as far as I can tell, you haven't led her on or anything. It's been completely one-sided. I'll just need to have a talk with her about it. That's all."

_Which I will as soon as possible,_ Kim added in her mind.

"Thanks, KP. I have felt really bad about this, but I just didn't know how to tell you. I know you two are pretty close."

"And we probably still will be," she assured him. "Joss just needs to know that we're in this for as long as we can be, and she needs to turn her focus to someone else."

Ron relaxed a bit. "Now, about what I asked. Which is it?"

Kim shook her head. "I don't really know, to be honest. I mean, I know I don't like that it wouldn't just be us getting called. But at the same time, the fact that the Tweebs would be the ones getting the other calls pushes a couple of irks buttons as well." She shrugged. "I guess it's a little bit of both, if I really think about it."

Ron smiled. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. What if, after a few missions to get them into the game, that's how it was? That we were the primary team, but that they could get the call sometimes as well? Not working together, but doing the same thing. They could be like our backup. And they could also take care of missions when we're too busy or are already on one."

Kim wasn't so sure. "I don't know, Ronnie. That's part of what bothers me. What happens if we're on say, a mission like the one Wade called _Profile: Roachie_, and they get called on something like the Lil' Diablos. I know Mom and Dad don't have a problem with me going, but if Jim and Tim got hurt, they might hold it against me."

Now Ron understood. "You're worried about them getting hurt, aren't you, KP?"

"Well, duh, Ronnie. I may want to kill them sometimes, but if they got even a bruise from some villain that we were supposed to have faced instead, I'm not sure how I'd handle it. I mean, think about it. How many missions did we just barely manage to come back from in generally good shape?"

Ron shrugged. "Look, Wade's not saying they join today. And we won't even bring it up with them unless we both think it's a good idea. I'm just saying don't shoot the idea down outright. That's all."

Kim felt slightly better. "Thanks, Ronnie," she said as she scooted over next to him and cuddled up.

"No problem, KP."

They lay back on the bed, both lost in thought for a moment, before Ron brought up the question that both of them had been pondering ever since they'd left Wade's house the night before. Or rather, one of the questions.

"What do you think is wrong with Monique?"

Kim shivered a bit. Her normally warm and buoyant friend had been unusually reserved and cold last night, and it had a million questions running through her mind.

"I'm not really sure. Mon's normally not anything like that. I mean, it's the first time I'd seen her since we left the graduation party, and she basically acted like she barely knew me. And then there was the matter of her family."

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright as a thought crossed her mind, and she turned towards her boyfriend. "Ronnie, have you ever met Monique's parents?"

Ron propped himself up on his elbows. "Now that you mention it, I've only ever met her brother, Jamal. He took us to the Uprising in Upperton wrestling event our junior year. The guy's pretty nice, even if he does have some serious Steel Toe-hate issues." Both the Watson siblings were confirmed Pain King fans, and as such were at constant odds with Ron's support of the wrestler's rival, Steel Toe.

"Same here," replied Kim. "He's actually the only family member of hers I've ever seen come into Club Banana to see her."

Ron searched the air in front of him for an answer. "Maybe her parents both have really busy schedules."

"Maybe…"

"KP, I'm sure she'll tell us what's going on when she's ready."

As if in answer, Kim's cell phone rang at that minute, displaying Monique's number and picture. Kim leaned over Ron to reach where it sat on the nightstand.

"Hello. Hey, Monique. Hey, don't worry about it. It's no big. What? Oh, Bueno Nacho in thirty? Sure, I think I can do that. Oh, Ron too? Is Wade coming as well? Hey, just asking. Okay. We'll see you two there."

As she closed the phone, she looked at Ron, who already seemed to be salivating at the prospect of Bueno Nacho. It had actually been quite amusing to Kim to see her boyfriend's reaction when they had realized the Middleton Bueno Nacho had remained relatively untouched by the invading Lorwardian mechs. The only thing wrong was that there were one or two holes in the parking lot caused by the pointed legs of said machines. Still, she asked the question she already knew the answer to.

"Up for snackage at Bueno Nacho?"

"BOOYEAH!"

Thirty minutes later, they were sitting in their normal booth across from Monique and Wade. Wade looked okay, tired from the events of the previous night, but okay. However, Monique seemed almost like a shadow of herself, as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her normally bubbly shoulders. Kim hated seeing her BFF like this, but she knew if she pressed the issue it would only add to the load the girl was carrying. As it was, Monique hadn't even touched her Naco, and normally only Ron could match her hunger for the spicy treats. Even her drink was already forming a sweat ring from sitting on the table relatively untouched.

Kim reached her hand over to her friend's as it sat motionless on the table. "Monique, you know you can talk to us about anything. You can even go into the realm of TMI if you want to."

The young woman smiled the first real smile Kim had seen on her face since the graduation party. "Thanks, Kim. I just don't know where to start. Things are messed up right now, and I don't know how to even start to fix them."

Ron smiled. "C'mon, Monique, it can't be that bad. I mean, you got into a good college, so that should help. And I'll bet your parents are really proud of you."

At that, Monique broke down. She said something, but it was muffled by her crying and her hands in front of her face.

"What?" asked Kim, genuinely concerned. She'd never seen Monique so much as shed a single tear.

It took a minute, but Monique finally calmed down enough to make her speech understandable. "No, they couldn't be."

"What do you mean? Of course they would be," Kim countered.

The African-American girl looked at her through tear-filled eyes. "Kim, how could they when one of them is dead and the other doesn't care about me or my brother?"

Kim was flabbergasted that she'd never heard about this before. "Monique…"

The girl was too emotional to respond, so Wade filled in the blanks. "Monique's mom died when she was born, and her dad is so much of a deadbeat he hasn't even remembered her last three birthdays."

Kim and Ron were shocked. They had known Monique since she first moved to Middleton during freshman year, and had never heard any inkling or detail that suggested this.

"Monique, why didn't you tell us?" Kim asked.

Her friend looked at her, tears still streaming down her face. "I didn't want you to pity me, okay? I was going to say something sophomore year, but then I saw how you initially reacted to Felix being in a wheelchair. I didn't want you to look at me like that."

Ron reached over his hand to grasp Monique's. "Monique, we're your friends. I mean, yeah, we would have felt bad at first, but it wouldn't have changed our friendship. I mean, what did you think the first time you saw my pants fall in the halls at Middleton?"

Monique laughed a bit. "I thought you were a bit weird, and wondered why you didn't wear a belt every day after that."

"But you still wanted to be friends with me, right?"

"Of course, Ron, but that's different. You had a problem that could be fixed. Mine can't be."

Kim was slightly hurt. "Monique, do you really think we're that shallow? That we'd look at you different because of something that's completely out of your control?"

The young woman dried her eyes, though the occasional tear still made its way down her cheeks. "No, Kim. I just…I don't know."

"Do you mind if I ask something?" Ron asked after a moment of just slightly uncomfortable silence. "If you don't live with your parents, who do you live with?"

Monique blinked a few times before answering, though whether it was from confusion or simply to clear the tears still there was anyone's guess. "My brother, Jamal. He's ten years older me, and is actually my legal guardian. That's actually why I moved to Middleton in the first place, because the legal papers finally went through where I could live with him."

Kim smiled. "You know what: I think this whole thing calls for a girl's day at the Middleton Spa. You up for it? We can invite Zita, Tara, and Marcella along. I know you're friends with them."

Wade agreed. "Go with them, Monique. It'll get your mind off everything for a bit."

Monique grinned, a small one but a grin nonetheless. "As long as Queen B isn't there, that sounds good."

Kim nodded. "Don't worry. By the time they can squeeze us in, I have a feeling that Bonnie will be fully bogged down in summer school."

"Good. I have a feeling that if anyone's going to give me a hard time over this, it'll be that girl. She is just so stuck up and concerned with people's position in the 'food chain'. I'd actually love to see her reaction her first day at college when she's not the center of attention."

Kim laughed. "Sha. I don't hate her, but I'd almost pay to see her face when she gets that wake-up call."

Ron showed his mirth as well. "It'd be just her luck if the only guy who talks to her for the first week or so is someone just like me."

The rest of the meal was filled with laughter from all four people at the table. It was almost like a normal trip to Bueno Nacho, right down to the "Naco-Chow-Down" contest that Ron and Monique got into, with both putting away five of the items in less than five minutes. Of course, Ron retained his title of fastest eater, but Monique was less than five seconds behind. Kim even got into the spirit of it, telling Ron she was pretty sure if Monique had as big a mouth as he did she probably would have beaten him easily. That led to a few good natured Diablo sauce pranks that were played on all.

By the time the two couples split and headed back home, Monique had lost all doubt that her friends would think any less of her. Of course, she still requested that Kim hold true to the spa day offering, but Kim merely laughed and said she would call her friend as soon as she cleared it with the other three girls. As Monique and Wade drove off in her little compact car, Ron couldn't help but laugh.

"You think that if Shego and Drakken ever became good at the same time we could be like that with them?"

Kim shrugged. "I don't know Ronnie. I mean I know I got along with Shego really well when she was good, but you never got to interact with Drakken when you were both on the same side. Who knows?"

Ron laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. They'd both have to get zapped to good by the Attitudinator helmet."

Both teens stopped dead in their tracks and looked at each other. The same crazy thought was racing through their minds.

"You don't think that Drakken and Shego…" Ron started.

"…would actually buy a helmet and turn themselves good on purpose," Kim finished. "I guess it's possible. I mean, they're future son did say that the Shego and Drakken we know are very different from the ones that he and June know."

Ron scratched his head. "So we know that it's Drakken and Shego who will need our help. But who would interfere with that to make sure you turn evil? And would benefit from it?"

Kim thought for a moment. "Actually, that still leaves every villain we've ever faced, except maybe Electronique. We still need to narrow it down some more before they'll tell us anything else."

As they drove home, there were a million questions running through their minds. However, every single one was pushed to the back of their minds when they got to the Stoppable house. The sight before them was certainly not expected.

"What the heck?" Ron said, leaning over the steering wheel with a wide-eyed look on his face.

Kim was speechless herself. The house was surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of video cameras and photographers, all of them clamoring for position closest to the front door. There were also numerous news vans on the street, as well as several other people crowded around. Through the throng, the two teens could see Ron's mother doing her best to keep reporters and news crews off the porch and out of the door. They could also see Kim's parents trying to help, and a small push back that had to be caused by Mr. Stoppable. Jean Stoppable saw the Sloth first, and tried to wave them off. However, the reporters must have noticed her frantic movements, and they all turned towards the street.

A cry of "THERE HE IS!" went up from the mob, and suddenly the small Roth SL Coupe was surrounded on all sides by flashing cameras. It would have been normal had they been shooting pictures of Kim. But their target seemed to be Ron, who was shrinking back in seat. In a moment of sheer panic, Kim hit a button the Tweebs had installed that instantly put up dark shades over all the windows. In response, the car started to rock slightly as the news crews and paparazzi pressed even closer to get a shot of Ron. A few photographers were even climbing up onto the hood and the roof to get their shot. If Jim and Tim hadn't upgraded the car's shell and paint, the car would have been crushed or completely scratched up by the mass hysteria happening outside.

"KP, this is completely freaked out!" Ron yelled over the roar.

"I know!" Kim yelled back. They had a few other options, but if they used any of them some of the people climbing on the car could be seriously hurt. But if they didn't do something, they were going to be hurt when the car was inevitably flipped.

Ron looked at Kim, and both nodded. Kim reached forward to the dash and pushed a button the Tweebs had installed for use only in extreme cases. Instantly, metal plating began to enclose the entire car in an impenetrable shell, even the underbelly. The only part not covered was the windshield, though a dark, triple-thick plate-glass did slide up to cover that. Jim and Tim had intended it to be used if Kim and Ron ever found themselves pinned down in the Sloth during an attack, such as a hail of bullets or a storm of fire. Now the two teens found themselves using it to protect themselves from the mob of press and paparazzi. Once they were completely enclosed, the rocking stopped. Not convinced, however, Kim and Ron climbed into the safer back seat.

"Think this was what Betty meant when she mentioned the fall-out from revealing that I was the one who took out the Lorwardians?" Ron asked, a worried look on his face.

Kim nodded, her face matching the worry on her boyfriend's visage. "Yeah, but I so didn't think it would be this bad."

At that moment, the one noise they most wanted to hear rang out.

_Beep. Beep. Be-Deep._

"Wade!" Kim practically screamed into her wrist Kimmunicator. "We're pinned in the car outside Ron's house."

The tech genius smiled a reassuring smile. "Stay calm, Kim. The Middleton Police are there and are trying to get to you guys."

"Wade, what's going on?" Ron sounded almost as panicked as Kim felt…almost.

"The story just broke about you being the one to take down Warhok and Warmonga, Ron. It's a media feeding frenzy, and every single news station and talk show wants to be the first to interview the two of you." Wade sounded collected but worried.

"Wade, what about mine and Kim's families? Are they okay?"

Wade looked off to the side where Kim and Ron knew he kept a TV for easy access while he was talking to them. "Looks like they're okay. The media aren't rushing your house anymore. Although it looks like there's an EMT dealing with your Dad. From what I can tell, his blood pressure just got raised a bit higher than it should have been, nothing too serious."

Kim felt herself hyperventilating. Being who she was, she'd been through media circuses before, but this one seemed exactly like what Wade had called it: a media feeding frenzy. It also seemed completely out of control. Not even the fall-out from the Diablo crisis had been this bad. It almost seemed sinister in nature, but unlike any other form of evil, this wasn't something she could fight against. What was worse, she couldn't slow her breathing or her pulse.

Ron noticed what was happening to his girlfriend. "Wade, tell those troopers they have to get us out of here, NOW! Kim's in some really serious trouble!"

Wade nodded frantically. "They're almost to the driver's door. They're actually having to use riot shields to clear a path from the car to your house. They're also working on setting up a police barrier around your house so the two of you don't get mobbed once they get you out and into the safety of your house."

Ron heard a knocking on the side of the vehicle, and a distinctly Hispanic voice boomed through the armor. "Mr. Stoppable, this is Officer Roberto Flores. I'm Zita's father. Is there any way for you to drop the shield on just the driver's side door?"

"Wade?" asked Ron. He honestly didn't know.

Wade was working his keyboard furiously. "I'm contacting Jim and Tim on their Kimmunicators right now."

"Hurry, Wade! Kim's not doing too good!"

After a few minutes, Wade came back on. "Okay! Ron, on the underside of the driver's side door handle is a bright red switch! Tim says flip it three times and you should be able to get out! But you'll only have about a minute! It's a fail-safe that's intended to make the bad guys think you're still in the car while letting you two escape!"

Ron quickly found the switch, then leaned back into the back seat where Kim was still huddling in shock. "KP…Kim…KIMBERLY!"

Ron using her full name brought enough sense back to Kim that she could function. "Ron, I'm scared."

"C'mon, we can get out, but we only have a minute once I flip this switch. You have to be ready to move!"

"Okay," she said, her voice uncharacteristically unsteady. Normally, Ron would be the one breathing hard and stuttering, but he seemed the picture of calm right now. Well, maybe not calm, but at least he was able to keep himself together enough to function properly. Drawing on his strength, Kim pulled herself into the front seat next to her boyfriend.

"Officer Flores, stand back! We're only going to have…"

The officer's voice responded. "We know, Ron! Wade Load just told us what's about happen. You are clear to open the hatch!"

Ron reached under the door handle and quickly flipped the switch three times. Instantly, the door popped up, and Ron and Kim rolled out of the vehicle. They were immediately grabbed by two officers a piece and quickly ushered towards the Stoppable house. Along the way, flashbulbs practically blinded both of them, and their clothes were repeatedly grabbed at and torn. Once inside, a waiting EMT immediately began to check on Kim, who appeared to be in the beginning stages of shock. Ron insisted on staying beside her until the medical professional deemed her all clear. Once that was done, they were both ushered into the one room with no windows, which just happened to be the guest room Kim was staying in. Thankfully there was also a bathroom just a few feet away, because Kim immediately ran to it and threw up before passing out. She came to a few seconds later, but was obviously still drained to the point of collapse.

Anne Possible and Jean Stoppable immediately put her in bed. Ron wanted to stay with her, but Anne Possible insisted that what her daughter needed most right now was rest in a dark, quiet room. So the rest of the two families returned to the living room, where they found some very unexpected guests. Two of them were wearing hoods, but Ron immediately recognized them and told the officers they were allowed. The other two were the last two people either family wanted to see right now: Betty Director and Will Du.

"Get out of here," Ron snarled at them.

"Wait, Ron," Dr. Director said as she held up a hand. "We aren't the ones who released this information. All we did was give the information we got from you to our superiors. We also left out any mention of your 'abilities' for this exact reason."

Will Du nodded. "Dr. Director is right. All we did was work with Agent Shioda to put together the report. We had nothing to do with leaking this to the press. We had actually planned to set up a barrier before we ever alerted them."

Ron was still seething, but somehow he sensed they were telling the truth. "Okay, so if you didn't, then who?"

The Global Justice head hung her head. "We had an agent who was looking for personal glory talk to a reporter this morning. By noon, it was all over the internet, and I'm guessing you two left to visit with your friends shortly before this circus showed up."

Ron gritted his teeth again, and was about say something when James Possible stood up and faced the two G.J. agents with a fury in his eyes that the young man hadn't even known the man possessed. Ron wasn't even sure that Kim knew her father could get this worked up.

"So then it was Global Justice who put my daughter into shock!"

Dr. Director met his anger with an equally icy seriousness. "No. It was a FORMER agent that leaked this. Global Justice does not release stuff like this. Not without preparing for the backlash first."

Anne Possible's indignation surpassed even her husband's. "Elizabeth Director, you know full well that just because you fired someone doesn't make it any less your fault! Our daughter, who has done more for you than you could ever repay, is lying in that room suffering from shock and exhaustion because of one of YOUR agents!"

Dr. Director's calm broke. "Let me tell you something, Annabelle Possible! I would sooner jump off a cliff or torture myself to death than hurt that wonderful young woman or this equally amazing young man! I've done everything I can to ensure something like this never happened! Unfortunately, I can't control what FORMER agents do after they are fired!"

Ron was genuinely confused. From the way Dr. Director and Mrs. Dr. Possible were talking to each other, he could swear they knew each other. But how could that be?

Gene Stoppable, who was easily the calmest person in the room at the moment, spoke up. "What do you mean by that, Dr. Director?" he asked evenly.

The sereneness in his voiced had a calming effect on the entire room. Although tempers were still high, they were no longer boiling over.

Dr. Director sighed and sat in one of the chairs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "This morning we caught an agent feeding classified information to a reporter. We'd suspected it, of course, but Global Justice protocol demands that we have proof before acting on that kind of hunch, especially considering we sometimes do that on purpose to flesh out the criminal element we're tracking. When we found out, we stripped him of his rank and all privileges, and then fired him after looking through the information he'd already passed. Unfortunately, we didn't know that he also had up to date knowledge of Team Possible's fight with the Lorwardians. As soon as he left our Go City headquarters, he headed straight for the office of that reporter and gave them the story. By the time we realized what was going on and that Kim and Ron might be in trouble, the media frenzy had already descended on this house. We tried to get word to Wade so he could warn the two of them, but he wasn't at his computer. By the time we passed the message, the car was already buried in media."

Ron, feeling it was best if he asked before anyone else, spoke up. "So what do they want with me?"

Will Du answered him. "For many years, you've simply been 'the sidekick,' or simply 'that guy.' Now, with this incident, it turns out you, not Kim Possible, are the one who saved the world. Everyone out there in that mob wants to be the first to interview the man who showed up the world-saving cheerleader."

"Whoa, whoa. I did not 'show Kim up'. I simply did what I always do and backed her up. I'm not going to stop working with her or become more than her sidekick when it comes to missions. That's how we've always operated, and it's how we'll keep doing it."

"No, Ronnie. He's right." To everyone's surprise, Kim was standing at the guestroom door, looking much better than she had just a short while ago. "Whether or not you want to admit it, you did come through when I couldn't." When she faltered a little bit and wobbled unsteadily, Ron was immediately at her side, helping her into the room and a chair.

"KP, I did not. If hadn't been for me, you probably wouldn't have even been knocked out. I'm sure you could have taken them."

Kim shook her head. "Ronnie, you beat them because of your Monkey Kung Fu powers. I may be able to do a lot of things that most people can't, but I couldn't have done that."

"Ronald," his dad said as he put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "I don't think Kim's saying she wishes you hadn't stepped up. I think what she means is that she's glad you did. Right, Kimberly?"

Kim nodded. "That's it exactly, Mr. Stoppable. If Ron hadn't stepped up when he did, I don't think I'd be here right now."

"You see, Ronald," the elder Stoppable continued. "If not for you, Kim's not here with us right now, and probably most of the rest of us wouldn't be here either. You were called upon to be great, and you stepped up and answered admirably. That is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Your dad's right, Ronnie," Kim said with a smile. "It's like when you figured out that Drakken was taking over Bueno Nacho based on the changes and them sending that Lars guy to take over Ned's management position. I was out that too, and you stepped up and saved the day. Without you, we aren't clued into the Diablos until it's too late, and probably lose."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, that Lars dude was rather…" He stopped mid-sentence and got a wide-eyed look on his face. "Lars," he whispered.

It took Kim a minute, but then it registered. "Lars is who they're after!" she whispered back excitedly. Then she looked at the others in the room, and realized the two of them were doing exactly what Xander and June had warned them not to do.

Quickly, she picked up the conversation where they had been. "Creepy, I agree. But you're the one who figured out he was working for Drakken, and alerted the rest of us to it."

At that moment, Officer Flores and a few other officers entered the house. "Looks like the media is breaking up. But they all want to talk to you, son," he said, pointing at Ron.

Ron nodded. "Alright, I'll talk, but on my terms, as well as where and with who I choose."

Kim reached for his hand and held it tight. "You realize this is the end of your "fly-under-the-radar" way of life. You okay with that?"

Her boyfriend merely smiled. "Had to end sometime, eh KP?"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N

Chapter 6 is here!

Ron's got a few things to say, and Kim's a little nervous about it. Then there's the matter of two unknown figures who are waiting to speak to Team Possible. What do they have to say?

Also, while one rival has a startling revelation, another is stirring up trouble. What effect could this have on current events?

Then Kim and Ron must face something even more frightening than bad guys or a rabid media swarm-"talks" from their parents.

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

***Also, special thanks to **G-Go** for the use of his character "Kimono". While mine has some fundamental differences, I felt it right to acknowledge where I got the idea for her.

* * *

At that moment, Officer Flores and a few other officers entered the house. "Looks like the media is breaking up. But they all want to talk to you, son," he said, pointing at Ron.

Ron nodded. "Alright, I'll talk, but on my terms, as well as where and with who I choose."

Kim reached for his hand and held it tight. "You realize this is the end of your "fly-under-the-radar" way of life. You okay with that?"

Her boyfriend merely smiled. "Had to end sometime, eh KP?"

Ron turned towards Officer Flores. "How many are still out there? I have an announcement I want to make?"

The policeman removed his riot helmet and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, at the moment, most of the major news crews are already gone. I think the only one left is the crew from the local station, Channel 6 Middleton News."

Ron took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he looked down a bit before straightening up and standing taller. Kim knew from past experience it was series of moves he used when he was preparing to do something he didn't want to do but also knew he had to do. Then he turned towards her and held out his hand.

"Would my lady care to join me?"

Kim nodded, and then looked down at herself. When the mothers had put her to bed, they'd removed her clothes, and before she'd come out she'd only had time to throw on a bathrobe. There was no way she was going to appear on what was probably about to be a national broadcast looking the way she did.

"I'd be happy to, Ronnie, but give a few minutes to get dressed." With that, she returned to her room and shut the door.

He nodded, and turned towards Officer Flores. "Tell Channel 6 to hold up a minute. Tell them _we_ have an announcement to make, and make sure you emphasize the 'we' to them."

Flores smiled, almost as if he were proud of the young man. "Will do, son." He turned and exited out the door, flanked by the other officers who had entered with him.

Ron turned towards the two hooded figures. "I understand why you came, but I almost wish you hadn't. Kim and I will talk to you in just a moment about this sitch in just a moment, but for now we need both of you to wait in my room."

The two figures nodded their understanding and headed up the stairs towards the attic bedroom. After watching them go, Ron turned towards the rest of the room's occupants, all of whom looked very confused. Ron fixed them all with a very pointed look.

"Look, I don't have time to explain, but please trust me on this. We need all of you to not ask us or them any questions right now, especially them. I can promise you they are very trustworthy, but unfortunately that's about all I can safely tell you."

Gene Stoppable stepped forward. When he spoke, there was an aura of calm around his voice. "Ronald, I think I understand most of this, but I do have one question for you. What are you planning to tell the media?"

Ron smiled. "I'm going to tell them exactly what I told Zita's father, that we'll speak. However, it's going to be on our terms."

Gene couldn't have been more proud of the way his son was handling this. After the royalties check, the new haircut, and several other things, the elder Stoppable had begun to wonder if his son could handle the limelight. But now the young man seemed completely in control. He smiled at Ron, and then turned and motioned to his wife and the Possibles that everything was okay.

Ron picked up Kim's pack and pulled out the handheld Kimmunicator. "Wade?"

The KP logo dissolved and the young man's face appeared. "Hey, Ron. Sorry I couldn't get to you in time to warn you."

Ron smiled at his friend. "Its okay, Wade. How fast can you set up another link on Kim's website?"

Wade nodded his understanding. "We're about to have a ton of hits on the site, aren't we?"

"Still reading me like a book, huh?"

The tech genius merely shrugged. "No, I figured that might be what you had in mind when you called me. So it's already done. The link is called 'Interviews'. Just tell them to click there."

"Thanks, man. If my guess is right, this might tie up your system for a bit when it hits. Can you handle it?"

Wade smiled. "Ron, the whole world could connect with me at once, and I'd probably be fine."

Ron grinned, a small bit of humor in his voice. "Hate to say it, Wade, but you may get to test that theory tonight."

At that moment, Kim reemerged from the Stoppable guestroom. "Ready when you are, Ronnie."

Ron took another deep breath, and held out his hand. "Then let's do this."

As they opened the front door, several flashbulbs started going off. To Kim's pleasant surprise, Ron made sure the first thing they got a good shot of was his giving her a warm kiss. Then they headed over to wear the Middleton News van crew was set up and waiting. Kim noticed that while most of the news crews were already packed up and gone, there were still hundreds of paparazzi with cameras crowded around the outside of the barrier the MPD had set up. She'd never really been a fan of them, but had come to accept the rabid photographers as an unfortunate side effect of what she and Ron did. She also understood now to some extent what Dr. Director had meant a few days ago when she'd mentioned how relatively normal their lives had been at Middleton High. Despite the numerous successes they'd experienced, the two of them had never faced anything like this.

She leaned in closer to her boyfriend. "Ronnie, let's do this quick."

Ron nodded. "Already planning that, KP."

As soon as they reached the edge of the barrier, two Middleton police officers lifted a barricade to let them through. The remaining few feet to where the news crew was set up took a bit longer to get through, but they were situated and ready in less than two minutes. Almost immediately, a microphone was shoved in their face.

"Ron Stoppable, you have been named as the one who saved the planet from the alien invasion. How does this change the future of Team Possible and your relationship with Kim?"

Ron stood tall and looked at the reporter with a smile on his face. "First off, I would like to say that Team Possible will continue to function as that, a team. Kim is the hero, I'm the sidekick. She is the one who has saved the world on numerous occasions, and I have been there as back up. This time was no different."

The reporter refused to give up her bone. "But how do you respond to new accusations that Miss Possible has been holding you back all this time and hogging the spotlight for herself?"

The smile disappeared, and it made Kim worry. The last thing Ron needed right now was for the media to see him lose his temper. She gently squeezed his hand. The smile didn't return, but the hard look faded from his eyes.

"If it weren't for Kim, the love of my life, I wouldn't be able to do half the things I'm capable of. I repeat what I said, we are a team, and this incident does not change that. Both of us will continue to do what we've always done, and we'll continue to do it together."

The woman turned her microphone towards Kim. "Miss Possible, how do you respond to those same allegations?"

Kim smiled her best smile. "Ron and I are, for now and always, a team. We are Team Possible. However, I want it known that even though the world has always considered him a sidekick, Ron is much more than that. He is a great friend, an amazing boyfriend, and an irreplaceable partner in our fight against evil. I want it known that he is as much a part of this team as I am, and that I couldn't save the world without him."

Both teens got mild headaches at the last part of that statement, but hid it well.

The microphone switched back to Ron. "Can you tell us what happened during the fight?"

Ron shook his head. "Not at this moment. However, Team Possible has agreed that we will do a full interview on what we do and will continue to do to a few select sources. In order to be considered for this, all media who wish to take part must submit a request to the Team Possible website. There you will find a link to 'Interviews'. Simply click that and we will take all applicants under consideration. However, we must note that all applicants must be interested in _both_ members of this team, not just me. The interviews will be given by Team Possible, and that means me _and_ Kim."

Kim spoke up at this point. "Also, any references to Ron being a sidekick will be disregarded immediately. He is a partner in this team, and that is the way I wish him known from this point forward." With that, she leaned over and kissed him full on the mouth. Not a long one, but one intended to show the entire world just how serious she was about what she'd said.

Ron smiled his appreciation of the action when they finally broke for air. "You heard her."

The reporter started to ask another question, but Ron held up his hand. "That is all we have to say at this point in time."

With that, the two of them walked back towards the Stoppable house, their hands tightly entwined. As they did, Ron let out a breath, and Kim snuggled closer as they walked.

"You okay there, Ronnie?"

Ron smiled a tired smile. "Yeah. I just have a newfound respect for the calm you've had through all those interviews you've given over the years. Don't know how you've kept your cool for all of them, KP."

Kim grinned and wrapped both her arms around his one. "Something tells me you're going to get a lot of practice very soon, Ronnie. Though I am glad I gave you that belt for our half-aversary."

Ron laughed as they reached the door to his house. "Yeah. At least I won't have to worry about losing my pants on national TV. Oh, by the way, our two _special_ guests are waiting upstairs in my room."

Kim nodded. "How about we go get some more answers?"

* * *

As soon as Ron had told them to head up to his room, the two hooded figures had done just that. The guy had wanted to say something, but his companion had thought quickly and stepped on his foot. Not hard, but enough to get his attention. Then she'd motioned up the stairs, and he had followed her without further complaint. However, once they reached the attic bedroom and shut the door, he couldn't help it.

"Man, Jules, that really hurt!"

The girl removed the hood of her shirt, revealing a long shock of blonde hair. "Well I'm sorry X, but you sound a bit too much like your dad sometimes. And my grandparents down there wouldn't have reacted kindly if you'd spoke up. None of them trust him at this point."

Xander sat on the bed and pressed a button on the wrist of his suit. Instantly, the part covering his foot slid up like liquid and stopped just past his ankle. He examined the part June had stomped on for a few minutes before pressing the button again. The material mercurially reassembled around his foot in a perfect fitting boot form.

"I guess you're right, but I still wish you'd learn the simple nudge in the ribs that most people use."

June giggled. "Well I would if you'd pay attention to it. I almost have to try to hurt you before you even notice it."

The blue-green young man sighed. "I guess you're right. So what do you think they're gonna tell the media."

June stared out the window as Kim and Ron made their way towards the edge of the barrier. "Well, if I know Dad, he's going to tell them that he's still just the sidekick. Though if I know Mom, she's going to insist he's always been a partner. Beyond that, I couldn't really tell you."

Xander leaned back so that his upper body was lying on the bed with his legs dangling off. "At least they've figured out enough that we can tell them more about what's supposed to happen. I was actually worried your mom was going to spill it to the rest of the room there for a minute. If she hadn't stopped I was going to have to say something."

June smiled as she stared out the window at the young versions of her parents. "That's Mom for you. When she figures something out, she normally can't keep it to herself at first. I can't count the number of times she's told me about where it almost ruined something. Particularly the time Dad proposed to her."

She turned towards the young man. "Speaking of which, if this is that particular broadcast, does that mean…"

Xander grinned. "Yep. Whether she's ready for it or not, Mom's already carrying me and Kimmie."

June shook her head. "Look X—I know that's your sister's nickname, but while we're here, I think you're going to have to refer to her by her full name. Otherwise things could get really confusing really quick."

Xander smirked and put his hands underneath his head. "Fine. At this point, Mom's already knocked up with me and _Kimono Cherie Lipsky a.k.a. Kimono Drakken_."

June popped him on the shoulder. "Smart-ass. You know exactly what I meant."

Xander grinned. "Fine—Mom's pregnant with me and Kimono."

* * *

At that moment on a small island in the Caribbean, a woman had a sudden realization. She jumped off her bed where she'd been reading a magazine and rushed over to her dresser, throwing open her top drawer. There was the box, and she quickly pulled out the strip and counted. When she reached the end, she counted again, just to be sure she hadn't made a mistake. But no matter how many times she counted, the number never changed. There were eleven, one more than there should have been. In a panic, she dashed to other side of the room and glared at the calendar, hoping against hope that it wasn't the third week of the month. However, according to the marks she put there religiously every morning, it was only the sixteenth of May.

_Oh, crap!_

Ever since it had started, Shego's time had been like clockwork. If it didn't come this week, then there was only one possibility. And given what she could figure from the box and the calendar, that possibility seemed almost a foregone conclusion…

_Crap, crap, crap!_

_

* * *

_

When Kim and Ron walked through the front door, the first thing they noticed was the absence of Dr. Director and Will Du. Anne Possible explained that they'd had to leave so that they could prepare for the eventual interview the teens were going to give. Ron had a question on his mind for her, but decided now was not the time to ask. Things were already complicated enough without adding another log to the fire. Plus, he figured there was probably a good reason that neither he nor Kim had ever learned of her mother's connection to the Global Justice head. And if Mrs. Dr. Possible wasn't ready to tell them, then she had her reasons. If anything, the past few days had reaffirmed that sometimes people did things for reasons that weren't always clear at that moment. Not to mention the fact that he and Kim had a very important pair waiting up in his room for them.

As they climbed the stairs to the attic bedroom, he felt Kim shiver. "Something wrong, KP?"

Kim shrugged. "I'm not sure, Ronnie. I know they're about to tell us more about what they're here to prevent, but I'm almost scared to hear it. I mean, what if they're about to tell us that I'm as bad as or worse than Drakken and Shego when I take over?"

Ron smiled and put his arm around her in a comforting hug. "Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. And we already know it's not all you, right?"

Kim stopped walking and turned towards her boyfriend. "Ron, when you got zapped by that device, you were one of the most formidable challenges I ever faced, and that was with only Drakken's evil inside you. What am I going to be like with both his and Shego's coursing through me? Have you thought about that?"

Ron wrapped his arms around her. "I stand by what I just said. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, and just hope for the best. Besides, we already know they're going to fix it."

Kim shivered again, rubbing her arms. "But Ron, what if they can't, and I end up hurting someone I care about? Like what if I end up seriously hurting my parents or my brothers? What if I…I end up hurting you?"

Ron smiled. "Kim, we both know I'm a fast healer. And even if you do, I know it won't be you."

Kim looked up at her boyfriend, perhaps for the first time noticing that he'd grown a few inches during their senior year. "What did I do to deserve such a great guy?"

Ron kissed her before he answered. "Simple, KP. You were born."

A few tears escaped Kim's eyes, but they were no longer from how scared she was. "Think I'll keep you around, Ronnie," she said with a brilliant smile.

Ron wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Couldn't get rid of me if you tried, KP," he replied as he laid another loving kiss across her lips.

Within a minute they were at his room, and he knocked. June opened the door, and they entered, closing the door behind them. Kim had a thought, and quickly went about the room disabling all the listening devices that Jim and Tim had already brought over from the wreckage of their home. It would be just like the Tweebs to have stashed a few of the receivers in other parts of the house, and she wasn't taking any chances. When that was done, she turned towards June and Xander.

"Okay. We've figured out that Drakken and Shego are the ones who are going to ask for our help, and that Lars is the bad guy who you two are trying to stop."

June smiled. "Good job. Oh, and good cover down there."

Kim ran a hand through her hair nervously. "Well, you know…I had to say something."

"Quite," smirked Xander, still reclining on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

Ron pulled out the chair from his computer desk and offered it to Kim, who graciously accepted. Then he grabbed a box and sat on it slowly, testing it. When it held, he scooted it closer to Kim. June grabbed a seat on the bed next to Xander, who sat up when she pinched his leg.

"So," said Kim with a sigh. "The first thing I gotta know is what the sitch is between you two?"

June looked at Xander, who again looked absentmindedly at the ceiling. "Well, Xander and I have been going out as friends for most of our lives, kind of similar to you two. However, we've been going out romantically for almost three years now."

At that statement, Xander's head popped down in surprise. "Jules, you know that's not true. You're dad wouldn't let us go out officially until you got your driver's license."

June glared daggers at him. Kim clearly picked up on the meaning of the look, and realized with a smirk that her daughter had been trying to possibly alter the future just enough to get herself more freedom. At the same time, she noticed a spark very similar to her own fiery spirit. There was no question she was going to have to keep an eye on the girl when she finally arrived.

Ron, however, missed it completely. "So I'm guessing that the reason Drakken and Shego need our help and the Attitudinator is because she gets pregnant with you?"

Xander nodded. "Not just me, but my sister Kimono as well."

Kim couldn't hold back a laugh. "Shego's gonna have twins?" If that wasn't going to be an unexpected wake-up call for her long time nemesis, Kim didn't know what would be.

The blue-green young man smiled. "That also means that if my calculations are correct, it's safe to tell them about us now, because she and Dad have already taken their relationship to the next level. Whether she's ready or not, she's already conceived us."

Ron cringed. "Oh, TMI man! TMI!"

Almost immediately after that, June smacked her boyfriend on the arm. "Xander! I can't believe you just said that!"

Kim also agreed with her. Although they were two normal people who liked each other just like any other couple, Kim still had a hard time with the picture of Shego and Drakken doing _that_. She shook her head to clear the image from her mind, but it popped back up a few more times before she could make it fade.

She put her hand to her chin, thinking. "So, I get that those two are going to use the Attitudinator to switch their personalities to good, presumably so that they won't be tempted to evil and have you and your sister taken away. What I don't get is why are they going to ask for our help? Couldn't they do that themselves?"

Xander shook his head. "Unfortunately, neither one is going to trust the other to follow through with turning to good. Remember, they're still new at the whole relationship thing. Think about how you two were when you first got together."

Though neither wanted to admit it, both Ron and Kim had to admit he was right. Although their first fight hadn't come around until the beginning of their senior year at Middleton, when Ron had "secretly borrowed" Kim's battle suit so that he could get on the football team, the first few months of their relationship hadn't been a walk in the park.

Kim and Ron had naturally assumed that the trust they had built through the years of friendship and literally hundreds of missions would translate over to their romantic relationship as well, but that hadn't been the case. It had in fact been a rude awakening on the first mission following the Junior Prom when they had found themselves caught off guard because they weren't in sync as much as they had been as just friends, with each of them trying their best to protect the other from getting so much as a slight scrape. Luckily, they had only been going up against Falsetto Jones again, a minor criminal who had a fondness for shiny things that didn't belong to him and who employed thugs who weren't always very bright because they were cheaper than Hench Co. henchmen. As such, the missteps they experienced hadn't cost them much, but it certainly hadn't been a flawless mission by any means.

Their training had also suffered somewhat at first for the same reason. They had become somewhat afraid of hurting each other, and weren't able to go full out like normal, which hurt the results of their sparring sessions. Thankfully, they had managed to fix things between them and build a romantic trust before their first major villain encounter shortly before school had resumed, when they had gone against Dementor and he'd first laid eyes on Kim's battle suit. But still, they could certainly understand what Xander meant.

June looked at Kim and Ron intently. "Now for the important part. Lars is still in their employ. He's one of the ones who didn't leave when Ron started convincing Drakken's henchmen that they'd be safer to retire during the whole Hank's Gourmet Cupcakes sitch."

Kim smiled at that. Ron's dad had been named Actuary of the Year, and it had led Ron to an almost obsessive interest in risk calculation. Although he had initially walled himself off from her after calculating his risk factor on their missions, he had eventually come around and saved the day. In the process, he had convinced practically all of Drakken's staff that they should take the early retirement plan. That was actually one of the reasons that mission had been a successful one.

June continued. "Anyways, in an alternate timeline from ours, Lars realized that Ron as Zorpox was a much more competent leader than Drakken, and he decided that if Drakken and Shego were going to turn good, he would simply replace them with Zorpox. However, his plan backfired, and Kim got hit with the evil leaving them instead of Ron. However, Kim proved almost completely unstoppable. She was willing to do anything to take over the world, except that she never willingly killed anyone, even though she had the chance multiple times. Lars thought this was due to his original target being Ron, so he came back in time to relay the new plan to his present-day counterpart."

Xander picked up the tale at this point. "He was right, but only partially. The newer "evil Kim" put several people in the hospital with much more serious injuries. She still wouldn't kill, but at least now she wasn't hesitant in fighting anyone, especially Ron. The other thing that made this more difficult is that she hid what she was doing at first. She found out about Wade's chip and somehow rigged a device that blocked its signal. She also hid behind a costume and mask, as well as using the alias of 'Lady Kigo'. She of course kept up appearances by making it appear she was tracking the 'new villain,' but she also kept up a constant hidden tampering with the investigation, particularly Wade's surveillance. The whole time Lady Kigo kept getting a more ruthless reputation, and was getting closer and closer to world domination. By the time Kim finally revealed that she and Lady Kigo were one and the same, it took only a few more weeks to take down Global Justice completely. Once they fell, she took out the rest of the world's law enforcement fairly quickly, and the world naturally fell into her lap."

Kim shook her head, shocked that she could be capable of something like that. True, it wouldn't be all her, as Ron had pointed out to her in the hallway, but still the very idea rattled her. She was almost afraid to ask her next question, but knew she had to.

"Umm, who all did I hurt?"

June bit her bottom lip, debating what to tell. Finally, she spoke. "Everyone who tried to stop you. Jim, Tim, and your parents were the first to realize what was going on and try, and it just grew from there. Although the only one you ever came close to killing was…" June's voice broke, and it didn't take two guesses for Kim to figure out who the young woman had been about to say.

Ron took his girlfriend's hand in his, and although she initially tried to pull away, she quickly calmed down and let him hold her hand.

"So if you two are from a future where this didn't happen to Kim, how did you find out about it?"

Xander pointed at his belt, and for the first time both Kim and Ron noticed that the belts on his and June's outfits didn't seem to match the rest of the ensemble. "These are reality belts, and someone who's wearing them can see the shifts in reality that occur when the past is changed. Wade developed them shortly after time travel was discovered. He was testing a new version when he saw a ripple change the statue of you two in Middleton Park."

Kim got a confused look on her face. "What statue? There's no statue of us in Middleton Park."

June cut in. "Oh, there will be fairly soon. The reason it hasn't been put up yet is that they were having trouble deciding whether or not to have just you or all three members of Team Possible. With the interview you two give, they decide it's appropriate to honor the whole team."

Xander continued. "Anyways, Wade was testing these newer versions when he noticed that the statue version of Kim picked up an eye patch similar to Dr. Director's. He quickly called us and had us come over and put on belts, because another feature of them is that they keep someone in existence even if the events that led to that person's birth were changed. We got them on just in time too, or at least June did, because Ronnie disappeared from existence about two minutes later."

"Wait, who's Ronnie?" Kim asked with surprise.

June looked at Xander, who shook his head. "Sorry, Mom, all I can tell you is that Ronnie is an older sibling."

Kim nodded her understanding. If she learned anything at all about other possible future kids she and Ron were supposed to have, it might change things to the point that they didn't have them.

June sighed and continued. "Shortly after Ronnie disappeared, we started seeing time ripples all over the place. Only Wade and the two of us could see them occurring, so we knew we were the only ones who could fix things. Unfortunately, Wade couldn't come because he couldn't meet his present-day version; if they met in person, it could completely destroy reality. The time stream can only contain one version of a person's life force at a time. So he sent me and Xander back here to fix things."

Ron stared at them. "But how'd you know to come to this time?"

June reached into the pack on her back and pulled out a book. "This. It's an album of all the photos Wade ever took of you two. Take a look at the marked page."

Ron and Kim took the book and opened up to the page that had a tab on it. There were two photos side by side, one of them marked with a date that was few weeks away. That one was normal picture of Kim and Ron as a couple. Both were nicely dressed, and from the look of things they were standing in Middleton Park, a large bronze statue of them and Rufus standing in the background behind them. The second picture, however, didn't look normal at all. Ron still looked the same, but he wasn't the one who made the picture look off. No, what made it look weird was the look on Kim's face. It looked like Kim, but the expression was a smile that would look better sitting on Shego's face. Her lips were curled and there was a hardness to her eyes that seemed completely out of place.

"Is this me?" Kim asked in surprise.

June nodded. "I'm afraid so, Kim. At that point, you've already been zapped with all the evil aspects of the personalities of both Drakken and Shego. According to Wade, you'd also picked up a few habits by that time that were strange, but that everyone, including Ron, attributed to you simply being out of high school and getting ready for college."

Ron was puzzled. "But how did Wade know that? I thought he was wearing a belt."

Xander shrugged. "He took his off to put on June because he was having to dig through his stuff to find the other two. During that time, a ripple came through and hit him. Thankfully, it didn't erase his memory of her, but it did affect his memory of Kim a bit."

June shook her head to focus. "We started looking through files on the Kimmunicators, and found where the timeline in his databank of your missions started to differentiate from what he had stored. That led us to this point in time, shortly before the media mobbed you two and trapped you in the car. And before you ask, that had to happen; otherwise, the interview that starts all this rolling would never happen. Without that interview, the statue is never erected, and we're never clued in to the change."

Kim nodded. "So what's the plan?"

Xander rubbed the back of his neck. "Although we don't like it, we have to let Lars succeed and turn you evil. When he's convinced he's succeeded and leaves for his own time, which we'll know when our Kimmunicator's pick up a temporal flux, we simply reverse the process and then destroy both the remaining Attitudinators and the Hench Co. blueprints. Finally, we travel back to the future, to the exact time and place he returns, and catch him. It's the only plan that put things back to relatively the same way they were."

Kim understood it all, except for one point. "Why not do what you did with the Tempus Simia or with the John & Mim missions? Just simply stop him from going back in time at all?"

June shook her head. "We don't know exactly what, but Future Lars is going to do something or cause some event that has to occur in order for our time to be right. What we do know is that if he doesn't do it, certain events don't happen right and things change greatly."

Ron suddenly thought of something. "Hold on, you said that you're Wade couldn't meet our Wade in person because it would destroy reality. Won't the Future Lars meeting our Lars do the same thing?"

Xander scratched his head. "The closest we can figure is that he knocks out his present-day form and takes his place. In our time, they have created a way for a person to disguise themselves with a special holo-watch. However, only certain people have access to them, like my parents or myself. We can only assume that Lars has one of these, and is disguising himself as his younger version. But he does something that the present-day Lars wouldn't do, and that is what has to be done in order for things to be right."

Kim stood up with confidence. "Okay, so now that we know your plan, what do we need to do?"

June shook her hands back and forth. "Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. It's crucial that you live your lives just like normal, as if we weren't even here. In fact, unless we contact you again, you probably shouldn't even try to get in touch with us. We've already talked to Wade, and instructed him to not even put you through if you try to talk to us. We absolutely have to maintain a low profile, and the only way we'll do that is if you don't deviate from the way you acted according to history. The reason we came over here is actually due to the fact that we knew you would be here because of the recording of what you just told the media."

Ron nodded. "So you need her to be evil for about a week, right? What's she going to be like?"

Xander smiled and shook his head. "Let's just say that certain things are going to come up, and you will probably have to exercise the most self-control you've ever had. The phrase 'bad girl Kim' is probably going to come up quite a few times."

Kim and Ron blushed, both of them knowing exactly what the young man was referring to. Kim couldn't believe that something like that could happen this early. Ron, on the other hand, found himself wishing with everything he had that he could hold true to what they had talked about so many times since they'd first gotten together. They wanted their first time to be special, and evidently this was going to be a big test of that. Each found themselves hoping that Ron's will-power would hold up under the pressure, though they didn't mention it to each other.

June snuck a look out the window. "Okay, enough of the photographers and reporters are gone that we should be able to make it out of here without being seen. And remember what we said about living normally."

Kim and Ron both nodded. With that, Xander and June pulled their hoods back on and quickly exited the room, pausing only long enough to make sure they weren't seen by anybody else in the house. They quietly slipped out of the house, and were gone before Kim and Ron saw them reach the barrier.

"Well, it's evident we sent one or both of them to Yamanouchi for training," commented Ron. While he still couldn't pull the disappearing stealth move he'd been shown by Master Sensei, he recognized the technique.

Kim came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his back. "Ronnie, have you thought about that at all?"

Ron turned towards her. "Thought about what, KP?"

Kim bit her lower lip nervously. "Umm, what they said I'm going to want to do…you know…"

Ron gulped. It seemed like one of those questions that had no right answer. "Well, KP, I am a guy…and you are a beautiful woman…"

Kim smiled, releasing him. "I take that as a yes?"

Ron felt behind him for the bed before sitting. "KP, look at you. Any guy who didn't want to make love to you would be completely crazy."

Kim sat next to him, then changed her mind and scooted over so she was sitting on his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder and curled up there, drawing in his scent.

"The reason I asked is I have definitely thought about it, especially spending these last few nights here."

Ron smiled. "And what conclusion did you come to?"

Kim shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know what to think. I mean, I would like to actually be able to tell the truth when I wear a white dress, but at the same time, I do want you."

Ron hugged her tight. "So we've been on the same train, huh KP?

Kim smiled. "I guess so. I just…I know I'm not ready right now, but I don't know if I want to wait until we're out of college and married."

Ron moved a few hairs out her face. "So what were you thinking?"

Again she shrugged. "I don't know really. I mean, what's the right time?"

Ron gently tilted her head up towards him and kissed her. "I think we'll know. And if we do wait until our wedding night, then that's when the right time will be."

Kim smiled and snuggled up against him. At that moment, James Possible came in the room, followed by Gene Stoppable. The two fathers looked like they had something on their mind.

James spoke up first. "Kim, you're mother and Ron's mother want a word with you. And me and Ron's father want a word with him."

Kim nodded. "Okay, Dad." Before she headed downstairs, she left a kiss on Ron's lips and a whisper in his ear. "Good luck."

* * *

As Kim entered the living room, she found her mother on one side of the couch and Mrs. Stoppable on the other. All the other furniture remained pushed to the side as it had been when she and Ron were escorted into the house, save a single chair, which had been situated facing the couch. Anne Possible motioned for her daughter to sit in it.

"Kimmie, we need to talk."

Kim gulped, but sat down bravely. "Uh, sure Mom. What's the sitch?"

Anne fixed her daughter with a serious look. "Kim, we need to set a few rules here now that the Stoppables are letting us stay here."

Jean joined in. "And trust me, Ron is about to get this same talk from Gene and your father."

Kim nodded. "Just as long as Dad doesn't make any 'black hole' threats, I think Ron will be fine."

Anne looked at her daughter. "We're not kidding, Kimberly. The very fact that we're staying here is going to make some people talk. That's actually what led to this. Jim and Tim were approached by some of their friends earlier today over at the mall, and some of your fellow seniors are already spreading certain rumors."

Kim scowled. _Bonnie._

Jean sighed. "And unfortunately, it's not that horrid little Rockwaller girl."

Kim almost fell out of her seat in surprise. Bonnie wasn't the one spreading the rumors?

Anne spoke up. "At least, not according to what the twins told us. It seems she may have said a few things, but most people don't believe what she says about you two anymore."

Kim sighed. At least there was that small comfort. "Do you know who it was then?"

Anne shrugged. "Honestly, we don't know anything more than what Jim and Tim have told us. And all they could gather is that it might have been that boy Pete Peterson. Evidently, it was his sister Jenny who brought it up to Jim. He has been on a few outings with her, and when she brought it up, they had a fight about it. All he could get out of her was that she'd learned it from her brother."

Kim thought for a moment. Pete hadn't been fond of her or Ron, especially when Ron replaced him as the starting running back on the football team, but this seemed completely out of character. Then it hit her. One of his best friends was indeed one Miss Bonnie Rockwaller.

Jean spoke up. "Kimberly, we're all very confident that nothing has happened between you two yet, but we also know that we were all teenagers once. Sometimes, things happen."

Anne nodded in agreement. "We also know that things are more liberal now than they were when we were your age. We just want to make sure you don't do anything rash in the heat of the moment. And by that, we also mean if something not so nice comes of this whole situation with Ron being thrust in the spotlight."

Kim was confused. "Mom, I don't get it. What could possibly happen?"

Jean spoke up first. "Kimberly, my Ronnie hasn't always had the greatest head on his shoulders when it comes to fame or money or stuff like that. As a matter of fact, both me and his father were very surprised how calm and in control he seemed when those policemen brought you into the house. It was almost completely out of character for him. He was even freaking out about graduation, if you remember, and that was in spite of the fact that he knew he was going to graduate with you."

Kim nodded, though there was a nagging thought in the back of her mind, mainly concerning what she'd just learned she was going to be like in a few short weeks. She couldn't help but wonder if she should tell the two women exactly what was going to happen. However, she quickly pushed that thought from her mind. If she said something, it was entirely plausible that one of them, her mother in particular, would try to do something to prevent the events from occurring. Instead, she decided to throw herself under the van, so to speak. She took a deep breath.

"Mom, Mrs. Stoppable. I don't think you have to worry. Even if I do want that, and God knows I've thought about it, I have complete faith that Ron would be able to keep me grounded, just like he always has. He's a very responsible man, and that's part of the reason I love him so much. Even though I don't drink, I can guarantee that if I happened to make a drunken request for that to Ron, he would turn it down in a heartbeat. I trust him enough to know that even I lose my head, Ron won't take advantage of it."

Anne smiled. "Just the same, Kim, I have something I want you to start doing. You know those pills you've been taking?"

Kim nodded. When her period had started, it had initially been very irregular, which both her parents had attributed to her hectic and often crammed lifestyle. Her mother had taken her to the doctor to get a prescription for birth control shortly after the Walter Nelson incident. The pills also had the added effects of acne control and evening Kim out to the point she was almost like a clock. Since then, she had taken them religiously every single day, even carrying a spare pack with her on missions in case they ended up having to stay somewhere overnight unexpectedly.

Anne leaned forward. "Kim, I want you to promise me that just for now you'll show me that pack every day. And that before you throw out one from your regular container because you took one from the spare one you carry on missions, you'll show me the slot that held the one you took. Can you do that, honey?"

Jean also leaned forward. "And I've agreed to be the substitute if your mother is working late. We just don't want you two doing something that would mess up either of your futures. We'd rather you wait, but if for some reason you don't, we just want you both covered."

Kim nodded, the a look of horror crossed her face. "Don't tell me that Mr. Stoppable and Dad are up there giving this same talk to Ron?"

Anne smiled. "Of course not, honey. Although I would be willing to bet that it's similar."

**+++  
~~ KP ~~  
+++**

As soon as Kim left the room, James shut the door to Ron's bedroom and took a seat in Ron's desk chair. Gene Stoppable took a seat on the bed facing his son. Ron had a funny feeling he knew exactly what this conversation was about.

"Ronald, we need to have a man to man talk. Both your father and I have a great deal of respect for you and the way you've handled yourself so far around my Kimmie-cub. However, we thought you should know that by your parents offering for us to stay here, people have started to talk."

Ron nodded. He'd actually expected the rumors to start much sooner, especially considering how much time he and Kim spent alone on missions. He felt pleased that it had taken something like the Possibles temporary move-in to start the mill flying.

Gene fixed his son with a serious look. "Look, Ronald, we don't know who started it, only that Kim's brothers were harassed about it some at the mall earlier today. One of the girls that Jim has been seeing brought it up, there was a verbal fight, and things got slightly out of hand."

James nodded. "By all accounts we've heard, if Tim hadn't heard the commotion and come out to calm Jim down, we would have gotten a call from Middleton Mall Security. We also know that the girl who started it was Jenny Peterson, Pete Peterson's little sister."

Ron felt the fire grow inside of him. Pete Peterson had held ill for him ever since Ron had managed to take the starting running back job from him at the beginning of the football season. And although this seemed completely out of character for the boy, there was one person in Pete's close circle of friends who this fit perfectly: Bonnie. Ron had actually been starting to think that the leggy, tanned brunette had started to grow out of her habit of cutting him and Kim down, but evidently that wasn't the case.

James leaned forward in his chair. "Ronald, you know the meaning of the bride wearing the white dress on her wedding day, right?"

Ron nodded. "Yes, sir. It means that she's saved herself for her husband up to that night. The white means she's completely pure and untouched by a man in that way."

Gene nodded. "That's right, son, but the man has a very similar tradition as well. This applies especially to the young Jewish groom. You see, only a pure and untouched young man has the right to wear the white yarmulke on his head and the white rose in his lapel. It shows all before him that he has saved himself for his new wife."

Ron again nodded. He understood this completely, and it was one of the reasons that, despite his wanting Kim in that way, he leaned more towards their waiting until their wedding night. It was also one of the reasons he had at least some confidence, if not complete faith in himself, that he would be able withstand Kim's advances during her "week of evil". What he didn't understand was what he was told next.

James leaned back again, although his arms folded over his chest. "Now Ronald, we know that things are more liberal nowadays than they were when we were teenagers. We also know that certain things are more acceptable now. All of us would like it if you two were to wait so that you can wear the white colors for the right reasons."

Gene smiled. "However, we also remember what it was like to be teenagers. We don't want you to do something that will mess up either of your futures, especially since they are looking so bright at this point in time. We also know it's been more difficult with all of us living under the same roof. But we would like you to promise us something, man to men."

Ron nodded. "What is that, Dad?"

James leaned forward again, this time even closer. "Ronald, you know I still have problems picturing Kim as a grown young woman. Despite that, I am starting to accept that she can't be my little Kimmie-cub forever, and that eventually she will want do certain things. Promise us, if you do get caught up in the moment, especially on a mission, please make sure you protect yourselves."

Ron stood up and took a deep breath. Then he shook both the older men's hands. "You know I love Kim enough to wait on that. But if it does happen, I promise we will."

"Good man, Ronald," replied James.

Ron also added another comment, one that made both fathers very proud indeed.

* * *

Soon after both teens were released from their respective lectures, their parents suggested they go out that evening. It was easy to tell that both Kim and Ron were slightly rattled by what they'd been told, and both sets of adults felt they could use a night out where it was just the two of them. Around 6:00 PM that night, Ron was dressed in one of his finer outfits and knocking on Kim's door. Kim came out in one of the nicer dresses they'd managed to salvage from her house. While neither was dressed to the nines, they had to be eights at least. After the teens left, several houses in the neighborhood were disturbed by excited squeals from their mothers as the fathers clued them in on plans in the works.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N

Chapter 7 is up and running!

I know the chapters are flying at you one after the other right now, but don't expect this rate to keep up. Although I am going to attempt to at least keep up a pace of "a chapter every 5 days." It's just right now I have a lot of free time on my hands, and this is what I do in my spare time. Now for the details:

Kim and Ron face the daunting task of narrowing the potential interview field. During this, problems arise, which lead Ron to do a little digging on his own. How will Kim react?

Plus, a new character is introduced, but his presence carries problems for someone close to Team Possible.

Also, Ron's got something up his sleeve, and again Kim's completely out of the loop.

Finally, a certain bothersome sitch is finally brought to light, but will the resolution be good or bad?

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

Soon after both teens were released from their respective lectures, their parents suggested they go out that evening. It was easy to tell that both Kim and Ron were slightly rattled by what they'd been told, and both sets of adults felt they could use a night out where it was just the two of them. Around 6:00 PM that night, Ron was dressed in one of his finer outfits and knocking on Kim's door. Kim came out in one of the nicer dresses they'd managed to salvage from her house. While neither was dressed to the nines, they had to be eights at least. After the teens left, several houses in the neighborhood were disturbed by excited squeals from their mothers as the fathers clued them in on plans in the works.

* * *

The next week seemed like a blur to Kim and Ron. Missions didn't help, as they got maybe two the entire time, and neither lasted more than maybe half a day. It seemed even the world's criminal element needed time to recover from the Lorwardian attack. However, a few things did make time slow for a short while. Soon after their announcement that they would be giving a few interviews, the website was literally flooded with thousands of requests. One of the first things they noticed was how many requests made great deals about Ron, followed only by minor blips about Kim at the end. Those they disregarded outright. However, one request immediately caught both their eyes.

Their very own hometown station, Channel 6 Middleton News, wanted to do a complete live feed in primetime. According to the request, something this huge was as important as the President's State of the Union. They also wanted to do a feature on all _four_ members of Team Possible, even including Rufus in their pitch. Out of the thousands of applicants they received, only that one mentioned including the most overlooked member of their team, so they naturally agreed. The fact that it was their hometown station wanting to do it wasn't lost on either of the two teens. They even convinced Wade that he should come on the show as well, which he agreed on only upon the condition that he be allowed to carry his laptop in case they got a mission call during the program.

Another thing they noticed was how many talk shows suddenly wanted them to make an appearance. However, most of those were shot down because the host or hostess had made disparaging remarks about either one or both of them in the past. In addition, several of them used crude humor that Kim didn't feel fit their image. They knew they were both considered role models for many younger kids, and Kim didn't feel it appropriate to appear on a show that would only clean up its act for the one show they'd be on. So those got the axe pretty quickly as well.

One thing that caught Kim by surprise was Ron's outright insistence that they only appear on live broadcasts. She didn't quite get it until Ron showed her a tape he had procured of the very first interview she had ever given. This he followed with the version that had aired. It didn't take a genius to figure out that some of the stuff she had said in the interview was taken completely out of context in the airing, while elsewhere in the show answers she had given to certain questions were played as replies to completely unrelated questions. Given what that particular interview had turned into, she found herself rather surprised that her image was as clear and clean as it was. So, without much argument, all interviews that were not live were counted out as well.

After several hours, they finally had it narrowed down to 1 "definite," 15 "good chances," and 29 "maybes". Ron suggested they also narrow it down by time of day, but Kim shook her head. Time of day only mattered if it came on way too early or way too late. That eliminated all the "maybes" except for two, neither of which they could quite cut out. Now they were down to a total of eighteen interviews, which both knew was still too large a number. Kim asked Wade to do a check on all their "good chances" and "maybes" to see if anything came up. Less than ten minutes later, six of the "good chances" had been changed to "not in a million years" due to foul remarks the host had made about Kim choosing Ron as her boyfriend.

"Well, KP, what do you think?" Ron asked as he leaned back on the couch in his living room. They had been at this for almost 4 hours total that day, and frankly, Ron was bored out of his skull.

Kim sighed. She didn't enjoy this anymore than her boyfriend did. "Well Ronnie, I still say twelve is way too many. But I don't know many other ways we could pare down this list. I mean, we've exhausted practically all of them."

Ron had a slight idea. "Hey, isn't Liz Bartlett doing a reporter internship for one of these this summer? We could insist she be the one to give the interview." Although Kim's friend and fellow cheerleader had never openly embraced Kim's choice in picking Ron, she had stood up for them several times when Bonnie had been on the warpath.

Kim looked at him and smiled. "Trying to repay favors, Ronnie?" she asked, batting her lashes at him.

Ron grinned. "Sort of. Liz was one of the ones who insisted you take back over as Captain after Bonnie staged her little coup a few years ago. Just seems right, I guess."

"Since you put it that way, I agree," Kim replied, checking another on the list as a "definite". Liz had been two years ahead of them, graduating in the same class as Josh Mankey. However, had it not been for her, Bonnie might have kept the Captain position she swiped while Kim was fighting Duff Killigan with Agent Will Du. Kim found herself wondering if her friend still wore her red hair short with the purple headband. It was entirely possible, considering the young woman was on a cheerleading scholarship at TCU, whose main color was purple despite their mascot being the Horned Frog. According to what Kim had heard through the grapevine, Liz was already the co-captain of the squad. That sent a thought through her head.

"Ronnie, what would you say if I were to skip the whole cheerleader thing in college?" she asked with a half-smile, half-frown on her face.

Ron stared at his girlfriend with surprise. Kim not cheerleading? Although he knew she couldn't do that forever, he'd always assumed she would still want to in college. Being a cheerleader was as much a part of her life as he was. Still it was her decision, and there was only one correct way for a boyfriend to answer that kind of question.

"Then I'd say that wherever you end up will be missing out on one hell of a pep starter," he said as he brushed a hair out of her face.

Kim fixed him with a quizzical look. "And what is this 'wherever you end up' business? If at all possible, I plan to go where you're going."

Ron sighed. "Look, Kim. Most of the schools we both applied to have already sent us both notifications of withdrawal. And I won't have you hurt your own future just to stay with me."

Kim rounded on him, dropping the list of possible interviews they'd been perusing. "And what if we end up in colleges on opposite sides of the globe? Could you really do that? Because I wouldn't want to. I need my daily dose of Ronshine."

Ron grimaced. This was the second time this had come up since they had received the second round of letters notifying them of rejection from colleges they thought they were already accepted at. It was a fight that neither wanted to lose, and yet neither of them wanted to win it either. Both of them knew the other had a valid point, but for some reason each kept going with the argument that their position was better for them as a whole and in the long run. However, there was sort of a solution.

On a whim, they had applied to all the general colleges near Middleton, although they both agreed they wanted to expand their horizons by going to college away from their hometown. Middleton College, Upperton U., Lowerton A&M, Tri-City State, and even a college they had never heard of prior to their senior year, G.V.U., had all originally been on the list. So far, the only local who hadn't sent them both rejection letters was G.V.U., although it was definitely not high on their list. No matter how much they tried, neither of them had been able to get any sort of class list or degree list from the institute that had seemingly sprung up overnight. They also couldn't find anyone they knew who had gone, save for Mr. Steve Barkin. However, every time they tried to approach him about it, he uncharacteristically clammed up and wouldn't say one word about his collegiate alma mater.

Ron shrugged. "You know, I'm starting to think someone is trying to herd us towards a specific college."

Kim sighed. "Ron, we already had Wade check G.J.'s systems for anything regarding this, and he didn't find anything. Besides, Betty Director wouldn't do something like that to us. Drop it already."

"Kim, she knows about Wade. She wouldn't just leave something like this on the hard drive for anybody to find. Plus, I'm pretty sure this is what Dr. Director meant when she asked us to trust her."

Kim had to admit his logic was sound, but she just couldn't make herself believe that the head of Global Justice, a woman who always claimed to be their friend and ally, would do such a thing. "Ron, I just don't think she's capable of that."

Ron wasn't convinced, but he decided to let it drop again…for now. At least, he let it drop as far as Kim was concerned. Wade, however, was a different story. Even though, he hated going behind Kim's back, Ron couldn't shake the feeling they were being guided towards a college. That was why, later that night, Ron made a phone call to the tech genius.

"Ron, I don't know about this…"

"Wade, trust me. Something's not right about this whole sitch. I can't really explain it, but every single warning bell I've got is going off, and someone is trying to either sabotage our collegiate futures, or they are trying to make us go where they want us to."

"But if Kim finds out I've been doing this…"

Ron sighed. "Wade, you had us both chipped for years without us knowing."

Silence.

"Okay, you had me chipped for years with only Kim knowing. What I'm saying is it shouldn't be too hard for you to do a little digging and get some information on this G.V.U. place, and then get it to me without Kim finding out about it."

"Well, can you give me any more information on this place?"

Ron thought hard for a moment. "Not really, other than it's located in Upperton. That, and they keep sending acceptance letters and full scholarship offers to both me _and_ Kim. We may both have the same 'world-saving' credit thing going, but she should be getting way better offers than I'm getting."

"I have to agree that's strange. Okay, I'll do it, but if Kim finds out it's your idea. Deal?"

"Deal. Thanks, man. Oh, and did you get that information I asked for?"

Wade sighed. "No, and I've been going over everything I can find. I promise as soon as I have something on that, you'll know. You sure you can do this right now?"

Ron smiled. "I'm close to that point. Haven't been picking up extra Smarty Mart shifts for nothing."

While the college sitch was something that bugged Ron to keep from Kim, his other project he had no problems keeping from her. It still might be a few months before his plans came to fruition, but if everything went right, he'd have the perfect surprise for his KP. He only hoped Wade could get the crucial piece of info that tied it all together for him. Ron felt sure Kim had mentioned something about it somewhere along the line, but knowing him, he had probably been engrossed in some videogame or other distraction. And unfortunately, without that important tidbit, his plans couldn't really progress forward.

* * *

Kim knew Ron was up to something, but she couldn't figure out what. Normally, he would Grande-size everything he ordered during their trips to Bueno Nacho, even the salads that he still professed to dislike but somehow still found the room to chow down on. Lately though, he had taken to sometimes even downsizing his orders, taking full advantage of the free refills at the soda fountain machine. She was beginning to worry that something had come up with his finances, or that maybe Smarty Mart was starting to cut his hours. However, it seemed like he spent even more time working there now that they were out of school. While she was proud of the initiative he seemed to be taking, she was starting to miss the amount of time they had spent together the first couple weeks after graduation. It didn't help that he sometimes seemed lost in thought even when they were together.

One person had always been able to give her sound advice when it came to her earlier friendship and current relationship with Ron, and Kim finally hit a point where she felt she was going to end up taking it out on her boyfriend if she didn't talk to someone. She found that person sitting in Stoppables' kitchen one evening, sipping a cup of coffee. Ron was still at work, and this seemed as good a time as any.

"Mom, have you got a minute?"

"Sure, Kimmie. My next procedure isn't until 10:00 tomorrow morning. What's on your mind?"

Kim pulled out a chair and sagged into it. "It's Ron. He's been acting really strange lately."

Anne Possible smiled. "Are we talking 'normal strange' or 'Ron strange' here, honey?"

"Ron strange."

"Hmm, that is strange. What do you think it is?"

Kim shook her head and looked at the table. "Honestly, I don't know. I mean, normally I can almost read him like a book, but lately he seems even more 'Ron' than usual."

A strange smile crept across her mother's face. "And you don't like being clued in to what's going on."

Kim leaned back and crossed her arms. "Yes…No…I don't know. It just seems like he's dealing with something, and he won't tell me what it is so I can help him."

Anne looked at her daughter with a shine in her eyes. "Kimberly Anne, you can't always make a guy you're with tell you what's wrong. I've been with you father for almost twenty years, and I still can't always get him to tell me what's on his mind. Even the face hasn't worked sometimes."

Kim looked at her mom in shock. "You mean to tell me there are times that Dad can resist the PDP?"

Anne smiled again. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you. Kimmie, you know how they sometimes say a woman's heart is like the ocean, full of secrets? Well, sometimes a man's mind can be the same way. You could be the top interrogator in the world and probe for hours, and I have a feeling you wouldn't learn much more about what goes on in there than you already know. And even if you did find some useful information, it probably wouldn't make any sense to you until the guy explains it."

Kim half-smiled. "So you're saying I should just let Ron marinate on it for a while, and he'll tell me when he's ready?"

Anne winked at her daughter. "Yes, but not entirely. I may be completely wrong on this, but have you ever considered he may be giving you clues you don't realize you're getting and he doesn't realize he's sending?"

Kim thought hard on that for a moment. "Why would he do that?"

Her mother shook her head. "Kim, you may be incredibly bright and graduated at the top of you class, but when it comes to understanding how Ron thinks, you are sometimes either completely clueless or completely oblivious. Remember when you were dating Eric…"

Kim glared. "Don't say that name."

Anne held up her hand in defense. "Okay. But think back to that, and what Ron was doing during that time. What was he like?"

"He seemed like he was reverting back to a younger version of himself. He also kept bringing up small stuff to complain about, like the removal of Naco Night or the pizzas not tasting right. And every time I tried to talk to him, he closed himself off more."

"Mmhmm. And what happened after he finally told you how felt about you?"

"He…he went back to normal, maybe even more mature than he had been."

Anne nodded. "Ron loves you Kimmie, but I think he still has a hard time processing how to show that sometimes. And when he doesn't know how to do something, sometimes he closes himself off so that he doesn't say or do something that comes out wrong. I guarantee if you give him time, he'll tell you what he's thinking. Besides, I think you have enough on your plate to deal with right now, especially with those interviews coming up. When's the first one?"

Kim sighed. "We're supposed to meet with Heather Tyler of Channel 6 Middleton tomorrow for that live broadcast. They want to do a full feed on all four of us. It actually worries me a little, because we haven't gotten together to talk with Wade about it yet. And unfortunately the Kimmunicator system is still out of whack after it overloaded a bit with all the hits on the interview page of the website. Wade's still retooling it to run without bugs. Right now, we can't call him but he can call us."

Anne set down her empty mug. "Well, I suggest that when Ron gets home in a few minutes, you two go over there and talk with him. Trust me; you don't want to go into something like this unprepared."

Ron did indeed arrive home a few minutes later at 8:30, just like clockwork; if there was one thing Smarty Mart was known for, it was making sure employees didn't work any longer than their shifts were scheduled for. He looked like he could simply pass out, but agreed with Kim's mom that they needed to meet with Wade face to face. He changed fairly quickly, which pretty much included taking off his vest and nice shirt and replacing them with one of his trademark hockey jerseys. Then they got in the Sloth, which they'd retrieved shortly after the media mob had broken up, discovering only a few minor dings and scratches that Jim and Tim had removed inside of twenty minutes. As Kim drove (which they both agreed was safer with Ron as tired as he was), they found themselves heading not for Wade's house, but towards hers.

It had actually become somewhat of a ritual for them to go by and sift through the debris for a bit, seeing if they could find anything. So far, they'd managed to find the trunk with her parents' wedding clothes and the family picture albums, several undamaged pictures that had been hanging on the stairway wall, and quite a few of the Tweebs tools and inventions. However, the biggest and best discovery so far according to Kim was that Ron, on a solo trip that lasted probably close to two hours, had found her Pandaroo, the small silver locket with "K+R" inscribed on it that he'd given her shortly after their Senior Prom, and the first photo strip they'd taken as a couple (which was surprisingly undamaged). When he'd come back completely covered in dust, his arms and hands caked in it, and shown her the items, she'd lost all sense of decorum and leapt at him with an excited squeal and the biggest hug and kiss combo he could ever remember getting.

This time, however, there wasn't much left to find. They did manage to locate a few clothing items, particularly her black dress and a few, ahem, unmentionables that Kim was glad she was the one to find. Ron scored again when he found not only her jewelry box, containing the sapphire necklace she'd warn to Junior Prom and the red bangles and earrings she'd warn with the black dress, but her mother's jewelry case and her father's memento box as well. They also managed to find both her Junior Prom dress and her Senior Prom dress, but both were going to take a lot of work to look presentable again. Then came the cheer uniforms, none of which Kim thought were salvageable until Ron mentioned that she didn't have to wear them in public anymore. That sent a blush from her forehead clear down to the nape of her neck, but she quickly stuffed both purple ones into the trunk of the car; the yellow one she could have cared less about. They even managed to locate a tool that Jim and Tim had been asking for, although it was pretty obvious the Tweebs were going to have do some work on it before it was useable again.

By the time they wrapped up this session of salvage, it was close to 10:00. None of their parents had set a curfew, and Ron had even gone so far to suggest to Kim that maybe the days of curfews ended with high school. However, Kim felt they should still try to come home at a decent hour. As they started for their original destination of Wade's house, Ron looked back at the ruins.

"So when do you think your parents are going to start rebuilding, KP?"

"Not really sure. I think they're still hoping to find some more of our stuff before they give the okay to raze what's left. Also, they've been trying to decide how they want to rebuild it. I think Dad was planning on adding an extra room or two for office space or so Jim and Tim could each have their own room." She looked over at him with a very alluring look in her eyes. "You're not getting bored of living in the same house, are you Ronnie?"

Ron brushed a nervous hand through his hair. "No, no. It's just hard to get some alone time with you with all four parents, your brothers, and my sister to watch out for."

Kim smile had a faint trace of a pout to it. "Ron, even when we do get some alone time lately, you seem to be somewhere else." As she said that, she was secretly scanning him for the "clues" her mother had mentioned.

Ron reached over and took her hand, running his hand over the finger where she had worn his senior ring. "Sorry 'bout that, KP. I just have a lot on my mind right now. I didn't mean to let it start affecting us."

Kim shook her head. "Not what I meant, Ronnie. It just seems that sometimes lately you've wanted to do something but won't let yourself. That's what I meant."

Ron smile was slightly nervous. "Well, yeah, there is that. I just don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for."

Kim pulled the car over to the side of the road and into an abandoned gravel lot, and looked at him with a skeptical look. "Like what?"

Ron looked at his hands in his lap. "Well, you know…romantic stuff. Stuff I've wanted to do, but I'm not sure how you'll react."

Kim was confused, until she thought about it for a minute. "Oh," she said in a voice that practically mirrored the way she'd said it just over a year earlier while tied to a giant cactus.

Ron looked at her, and the blush on her face seemed to be all the confirmation he needed. "Don't worry about it, KP. I'm sorry I even brought it up. Just forget about it," he said as he hung his head.

That's when he felt a finger tipping his chin up and turning it towards the driver side of the car. The blush was completely gone, replaced with what Ron could only describe as a flush of desire.

"Ron, is there any of that you could do right now?"

Ron gulped. Kim was practically throwing herself at him, and he was sorely tempted to do something about it. After a minute of looking at her like that, he finally decided to throw caution to the wind and see if she liked certain things.

It started innocently enough, with a simple kiss on the lips. Slowly, the kissing drifted across her cheek to her ear, where he gave a little nibble. Kim jerked a little, and Ron pulled back, only to quickly feel a matching nibble on his own ear. That was all the encouragement he needed. His trail of kisses made its way down her neck to her shoulder, where he moved her shirt slightly to the side and kissed the same spot for a few seconds, occasionally pulling back and blowing softly on it. The shivers he could feel running through Kim gave him even more confidence, but not as much as what Kim did next.

She grabbed his wrists, guiding one hand up behind her neck while the other she brought to a rest just in front of her heart. She paused there, and he pulled back and looked at her. It was the first time he'd ever even thought about doing that intentionally, and he was just slightly nervous about it. On one or two occasions during their missions, situations had come up where he'd had to grab her under the arms from behind, and after the first time it happened, Kim set down a rule that he wasn't to touch her chest if he could at all help it. The few times he had no choice since then had caused her to go quiet and reserved for at least fifteen minutes afterwards. Now she seemed to be battling with herself about whether or not she wanted him to do that.

He took a deep breath. "KP, I won't unless you're okay with it. Are you sure?"

Kim was breathing heavily, and she wanted him to, but somehow she couldn't make the words come out of her mouth. Finally, after what seemed like eternity of looking at each other while she held his hand mere inches away, she pulled it back down. As much as she wanted to, she just couldn't do it right now. She looked at him with nervous eyes, and saw no disappointment in those chocolate brown eyes, only love.

"I'm sorry, Ronnie. I…I just can't right now," she said quietly as a single tear escaped down her cheek.

Ron brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and wiped away the fleeing teardrop. "Kim, I'm never going to force you into something you're not ready for. Even if it's our wedding night and you're not ready to make love, I won't force it on you."

Kim smiled, and planted one of the most sensuous, loving kisses they'd ever shared on his lips. "Thanks, Ron."

Ron looked at the clock, surprised how little time had actually passed. "You know, it's already 10:15. If we don't want to wake Wade, I suggest we go there right now."

"Right," Kim agreed. "Besides, I'd rather not take this too late if we can help it. We need to get some rest before the big interview tomorrow. I so don't want to appear on national TV with dark circles under my eyes."

It took only another two minutes to get to Wade's house. Both Kim and Ron were surprised to see an almost brand new, silver Saleen S7 sitting on the street. The two teens could only guess whose car that was, since they knew what each member of the Load family drove, as well as what vehicles Monique and her brother owned. As they exited the Sloth, Ron caught something on the vehicle that made his eyes grow wide.

"No way," he breathed out slowly. "KP, do you know whose car this is?"

"Ron, quit playing around," she replied, in no need to play guessing games. Though she may have been plenty distracted just a few minutes earlier, now Kim was all business. This was just as important as, if not more so than, a mission, and it was something they had to do.

However, Kim got the answer to Ron's question as soon as Wade let them in. Sitting there on the couch was the one and only Reggie Lionel "The Lion" Hayes, probably the world's second most recognizable pro golfer, right behind that young phenom who was tearing up the Masters. And sitting, or rather standing, across from him and yelling her head off was her best friend Monique. Another young man, who Kim recognized as Monique's brother Jamal, was sitting in another chair, and he looked even more ticked than his sister. However, he seemed to be controlling himself, though Kim did notice how his brown knuckles were slowly turning white on his clenched fists.

"You really expect us to take you up on that? When you've not so much as shown us your face since Jamal was thirteen and I was three? As far as I'm concerned, you can take your little offer and shove it where the sun don't shine along with all those fancy golf clubs you own!" In all the years she had known the girl, Kim had never seen Monique so worked up.

"My little Harmonique, I'm just trying to make things right. For both you and your brother."

Monique was completely livid. "DON"T YOU CALL ME THAT! And making things right should have started before Grandma and Grandpa Watson took me in! Hell, it could have started when I moved here to Middleton because Jamal was finally old enough and had enough money to support me! Maybe it could have even started with you TRYING to attend my high school graduation a few weeks ago! As far as I'm concerned, you don't even exist! Why do you think both me and Jamal use Mom's last name, even though I never knew her and he was only ten when she passed? Did you ever even THINK about that?"

Jamal Watson stood up slowly. "Reggie, I think its best you leave right now. Neither one of us are going with you, nor do we want or even need your help. We've been doing just fine on our own, and we'll keep making it work like a REAL family should."

The older man stood slowly and met his son toe to toe for a tense moment, an angry scowl across his face. "You have no right to call me that. I am your father, and I demand you treat me with respect."

Jamal stood his ground. "You may have been the one who impregnated Mom with both of us, but you've done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to warrant any respect from me or my sister. We don't have a father, and if we did, he'd be nothing like you. Now leave!"

Reggie's mouth twisted into a snarl, but he grabbed his coat and head out into the night, brushing roughly past Kim and Ron as he did so. It was only after he'd slammed the door and they heard a car peel out that the Watson siblings looked up and noticed the teens were even there. Monique started to dash for her room, but Jamal stopped her.

"Mon, I think talking to your BFF as you call her is just what you need right now." When Monique shook her head no, he tilted her chin up. "Please, do it for me."

Monique nodded, and Kim rushed to her friend's side, embracing her in a tight hug. As they headed into Monique's room, Kim motioned to Ron to continue with why they had come over in the first place.

"Wade, man, we need to talk about tomorrow night."

Wade nodded. "I was actually going to call you guys about it tomorrow morning, but since you're here, might as well."

Both of them waved to Jamal as they headed down the stairs to Wade's basement computer lab. Jamal waved casually back before plopping down on the couch. "Sorry that had to happen here," he said as Mrs. Load walked in and took a seat in the chair he himself had occupied a few minutes earlier.

The woman waved her hand through the air in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it, Jamal. Had to happen somewhere, and what better place than somewhere your sister feels safe. Though to be honest, I wouldn't have taken him up on it either."

The twenty-eight year old smiled. "Would anybody?"

**+++  
~~ KP ~~  
+++**

Once they were in Monique's room, Kim shut the door and sat down on the bed beside her friend.

"So that was…" she began tentatively.

"Yeah, that was the candidate for WFY," Monique said with a glance at the floor.

"Let me guess, 'Worst Father of the Year'?"

Monique smiled. "I see you're starting to pick up on a lot more of my acronyms."

Kim raised her hand in pledge mode. "I am proud to say that I now have four years of 'Monique-speak' under my belt."

Monique half-smiled and let out a slight chuckle. "Girl, I'll get you trained in it yet."

Kim placed her hand over her friends. "So spill, why do you hate him so much?"

Monique picked at the fuzzies on the bedspread. "Because he's never once acted like a dad to me or to Jamal. He thinks that just because he sends us money from his tour winnings every now and then that we'll all be a real family. Also, he pretty much doesn't acknowledge that we even exist unless it's with a check or he's in the Tri-City area. He's pretty much a DBD when it comes to us."

Kim wrinkled her nose. "Okay, I've heard almost all of your sayings, and even I don't know that one."

"Dead Beat Dad. I'm sure you heard me say me and my bro use Mom's maiden name as our last name. We don't want to have anything to do with him, and that includes sharing his last name. It's actually kind of sad too, cause Papa and Nana Hayes are two of the nicest, most caring people you could ever meet. I don't think he even calls them anymore, yet they still come and see us as much as they can. They were actually at graduation, even though they live all the way out in Boston and had to drive the whole way here because she's afraid to fly and he hates trains."

Kim squeezed her friend's hand. "Sounds to me like you've got a great family with one bad egg."

Monique smiled. "IGYR. I just wish I knew why it had to be him."

Kim smiled as she picked up another one of the young woman's sayings. "Of course I'm right. As for why, I couldn't tell you. I mean, why is it that my cousin Joss's mom left both her and my Uncle Slim less than a week after Joss turned one? It's a ferociously messed up sitch, but Joss and Uncle Slim make the best of things. Just like you and Jamal have been doing."

Monique smiled again. "Okay, NT. What college are you and the Ron going to?"

Kim smirked. "As far as that goes, 'The Ron' can go to Palookaville Technical for all I care. As for me and _my Ron_, we don't know yet. We keep getting all these weird rejections and scholarship withdrawals. I mean really, the only place we both applied that hasn't rejected us yet is that mysterious one in Upperton, G.V.U. We can't even figure out what the G.V. stands for, much less what they offer. We only applied because it was relatively close without actually being in Middleton."

"Still determined to BOOTN, huh?"

"Break out of the nest? Yeah. Though Ron's developed this theory that we're being herded towards there by Betty Director of Global Justice. Hasn't mentioned it in a few days though."

When she saw the look on Monique's face, however, Kim became suspicious. "What is it, Mon?" she asked with a serious expression, though she suspected what it was.

**+++  
~~ KP ~~  
+++**

As they descended the stairs, Ron couldn't help but feel a little in awe. In their entire high school career, he had never seen more of Wade's room than what was shown on computer screens via webcams, yet here he was for the second time in less than a month. Another thing he noticed as they entered were the packs still set up by the beds that were set up in the holo-cube. From the looks of things, Xander and June were out at the moment, maybe on a recon mission to try and find Future Lars so they could track him. So far, their search had returned exactly zero, but the two young people from the future seemed unwilling to give up. Ron really hoped they could find him quickly. If tonight had been any indication, he wasn't as sure about his willpower as he had been when he first learned how Kim was going to be during her "bad week".

Wade pulled out his computer chair, and Ron grabbed one of the other available chairs.

"So what time are we meeting to head over to the station?" the tech genius asked once they were both comfortable.

Ron shrugged. "Kim said she wants to pick you up around 5:00 since the interview's supposed to start at 6:00. I'm pretty much letting her plan all the scheduling."

Wade broke out in a big grin. "Letting your Type A girlfriend take the lead like always, huh?"

Ron merely smiled. "Hey, I stick with what works. Speaking of which, did you get that information I asked for?"

"Which one?" At Ron's look, "Oh, _that_ information. Sorry, Ron, but it looks like that's one of the few things she never wrote about in her online journals or in her blog. I can't even find any pictures that might give a clue."

Ron scratched his head. "What about all those cameras you bugged her house with?"

Wade stammered. "Ron, we…we talked about the ethical and mor…moral ramifications of doing that."

Ron eyed the young man. "Uh huh, just like the ramifications you mentioned when she asked you about the chips?"

Wade grinned. "Okay, you're right, there were cameras, but Kim could turn them on and off when she wanted. They could only be activated from here if the house was broken into."

Ron smiled. "Look, man, I know she's looked at catalogs, but unfortunately her house got destroyed before I could catch a glimpse of them. You're my only hope on the matter."

Wade shook his head. "I really wish I could help you, but I don't have anything. Besides, I think she'd like something you designed especially for her over some store bought version anyway. Why don't you do that?"

Ron sighed. "Because if I do that, it's going to cost a whole lot more. And that means that barring another Naco royalty check, it's going to be a whole lot longer before I can give it to her. I really wanted to give it to her before we started college."

"Give me what?" came a voice from behind them.

Ron slowly turned towards the stairs. "Hey, KP. How long were you standing there?" He figured it was a good idea to tread lightly, because his girlfriend had a look just this side of tweaked plastered across her face, including the raised eyebrow that never boded well for him. He had to stop himself from laughing as he remembered that June had called it her "mom eye".

"Not long," Kim replied. "What's the sitch with you two? I thought you came down here to talk about the interview tomorrow."

Thinking fast, Wade said the only logical thing he could think of. "We figured it was best to wait for you, since you're part of this too."

Kim's expression told them immediately she didn't believe them. "Oh really? I thought you might have been talking about the little secret investigation of G.V.U. you set up behind my back." Her foot was tapping, and she was eyeing both boys with a not-amused glare.

Wade seemed to snap to life and pointed to his monitor. "Actually, it's a good thing he did ask me to run a check on it, because I found some really weird stuff."

Kim immediately walked forward and looked at the screen. "What's the sitch here? This doesn't make any sense, Wade."

Wade scrolled down the screen. "Far as I can tell, even though this place, which is known as Global Vanguard University by the way, has graduated thousands of people, but not one of them has a degree from there. They all have degrees from multiple places, like Harvard, Oxford, M.I.T., Georgetown, and dozens of other high-end schools. Even stranger is that while the degrees are all legitimate, these people aren't recorded as going to those schools. However, they are recorded as graduating from those schools. It's like this is some sort of super college."

Kim glanced through the list. "Hey, Wade, how many of these people went through under scholarship?"

Wade ran a quick check. "All of them. They were also all invited to come. Not a single one was admitted simply because they applied."

Ron, who out of some fear of Kim's annoyance had crossed over to Wade's other side to view the screen, pointed at a few of the graduates. "Hey, who are these people?"

Wade brought up the profiles, causing all three to gasp in surprise. There in front of them were several people they knew to be Global Justice agents. In fact, the valedictorian and salutatorian for one year were none other than Betty Director and her brother Sheldon (who had apparently not gone over to evil yet), both of whom were sans eye patch. The year before that, one of the top GPAs had belonged to Steven Johnathon Barkin. As they looked through the list, Kim was shocked to see practically every G.J. agent she had ever known or worked with.

"Wade, go to the Class of 2002. I want to know if he's on there." Kim said after a minute.

"Who? Oh, him."

Wade followed the links, and sure enough there was Will Du, though Kim noticed with some satisfaction he was relatively low in the class ranking. Even so, his numbers were though the roof.

Ron was looking at the other parts of the page. "Hey, it says here they play in the same conference as the Independents, like Navy, Army, and Notre Dame."

Kim however, was far more interested in something else she'd noticed. "Wade, can you run cross-reference with this list of graduates and all known current and former Global Justice agents? See if any of these people didn't become part of the spy network."

Wade laced his fingers and cracked them outwards. "Just a second. Okay, done. Yeah, it looks like approximately 50% of the alumni went on to other fields, although it says they all were offered jobs and turned them down."

"So in other words, this place is basically a breeding ground for Global Justice agents," said Ron, once again revealing his unfailing ability to state the obvious.

That, for Kim, was the last straw. "Alright, I admit it! I was wrong, you were right! Can we move on?" she raged as she stormed over to the chair Ron had vacated and sat down angrily.

Wade and Ron looked at each other in surprise. Then they glanced at Kim, both wondering where the outburst had come from. Finally, Ron walked over to her and knelt down, taking her hand in his, a move she quickly thwarted by yanking her hand free and crossing her arms over her chest.

"KP, we never said you were wrong. As far as being right, I have no idea what you're talking about," he said in a soothing voice. It was then he noticed the tears forming in her eyes.

"Ron, she did this to us. Did you know I got more rejection letters today? Every school that I could have gone to with you or near one you're still accepted at has withdrawn their invitation and their scholarship offer. She's forcing us to choose that college if we want to be together, which she knows is high on our priority list. I can't believe I trusted her."

Ron looked lovingly at his girlfriend and put his hand on her cheek. "KP, I'm not so sure she did. There's a reason I had Wade check on the place without you knowing. I didn't want you to worry, but Will Du dropped by Smarty Mart a week ago and told me what he suspects is going on. If anything, Dr. Director is the reason we're still both accepted at G.V.U., and the reason we haven't been outright rejected by every other place in the world. The ones trying to seize power in G.J. are the ones who sabotaged us, because they know if we end up at college we might get designs on other careers besides working for them."

Wade nodded. "It's true, Kim. Will contacted me on a two-way radio he sent me so that he wouldn't be traced. The only agents he knows he can fully trust right now are himself, Dr. Director, and Agent Shioda. That was also the reason Dr. Director was nervous about involving Tomoe in the discussion about Ron's abilities. There's a struggle going on in G.J., and Betty doesn't know who to trust, so she's trying to keep you two together as best she can. Also, I contacted a friend who works over at Upperton U., and he hacked the system and found out that their rejecting you two was something forced. But all he could get beyond that were classified files that had been cleared from the system."

Kim sniffed a bit. "She still should have told us."

Ron smiled, wiping away tears. "Kim, she couldn't. The place was bugged and she knew it, so she gave us a message in the only way she could, by telling us to trust her over these next few months. She also told us she was being forced to meddle in our college admissions, something she shouldn't have any business in. She knew what was happening, yes, but according to Will if she told us that agent she hates would be in charge right now. She's doing her best to give us a chance to fight against being forced into a Global Justice uniform."

Kim smiled. "You know, Ronnie, if this is the way they treat their allies, I certainly hope we're never on their enemies list."

It took Ron a second to realize his girlfriend had made a joke, but when he did, he fell on the floor laughing. As soon as he did, Kim herself couldn't contain it any longer, and let out with a hearty laugh that shook her out of her chair. Wade watched his two friends rolling around on the floor for a few minutes before he himself got caught up in the laughter. For event the briefest of moments, the pressures of the college sitch was forgotten. However, it ended all too soon, and when she was finally able to stand, Kim once again had her mission face on.

"Now about the real reason we came over. Tomorrow's interview."

Wade nodded. "I hate to say it, but I can about guarantee they're going to try to pull some sort of question trap on us."

Ron nodded, a mischievous grin on his face. "No problem, if we screw up we'll just end up on Chat Stew in their blooper reel."

Kim could only hold the giggle back long enough to get out her sentence. "Ron, if you try something for the sole purpose of getting on that show, so help me…"

Then she busted out in a fit of giggles again. It wasn't long before both Ron and Wade were joined in. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine, and after what they'd just learned, there could be no better remedy. As she lost herself in joyous chuckling, Kim made a mental note to have both hers and Ron's response letters to Global Vanguard U. in the mail tomorrow, as well as a very special thank you to the home of the woman who had probably made it all possible.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N

Chapter 8 is up and running!

Again, I feel I need to stress that this pace of updating and adding chapters will probably not hold. It's just like this now because I'm in between jobs. However, even if I do manage to pick up a new job, I still plan on at least 1 chapter every 5 days. But back to the story:

Team Possible finalizes plans for the big interview. Ron's still up to something, and Kim's going half-crazy about it. But that doesn't stop her from unveiling a big surprise for her boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Shego's in for an unwanted surprise that could change her life forever.

Also Xander and June are running out of time, and not just on their mission. Someone with a grudge to pick is back!

Then at the interview, Kim and Ron are in for a pleasant surprise, and we get a little bit of the back story on Team Possible.

Finally, there are things happening that threaten to close in on Team Possible and their future progeny.

No big, right?

And now for the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

***Also, the song is "Get Up on Ya Feet" by Aaron Carter, featured during Tempus Simia fight in _Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time_.

* * *

"Now about the real reason we came over. Tomorrow's interview," Kim said with a serious look on her face.

Wade nodded. "I hate to say it, but I can about guarantee they're going to try to pull some sort of question trap on us."

Ron nodded, a mischievous grin on his face. "No problem, if we screw up we'll just end up on Chat Stew in their blooper reel."

Kim could only hold the giggle back long enough to get out her sentence. "Ron, if you try something for the sole purpose of getting on that show, so help me…"

Then she busted out in a fit of giggles again. It wasn't long before both Ron and Wade were joined in. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine, and after what they'd just learned, there could be no better remedy. As she lost herself in joyous chuckling, Kim made a mental note to have both hers and Ron's response letters to Global Vanguard U. in the mail tomorrow, as well as a very special thank you to the home of the woman who had probably made it all possible.

Once they all composed themselves for the second time, they were finally able to get down to business. Wade pulled up a series of questions, and they spent the next hour and a half interviewing each other. They all got tripped up a few times at first, leading to some recovery practice, but by the end of it they all felt much better about the whole sitch. They were presenting a united front that clearly stated in no uncertain terms that they were a team. By the end of it, Kim was even suggesting a redesign, rename, and readdressing of the website. Ron and Wade both felt good about the redesign and renaming, but they both shot down the readdressing pretty quick. However, each had their own reasons.

"Kim, that's how people know you, and how they know to contact you," Wade replied. "If you get a new web address, you're going to confuse people, and we may miss something important."

Ron, however, had a silly yet sentimental reason. "KP, if it wasn't for that particular web address, we never would have gotten that first mission to help Mr. Paisley with his laser grid. Which means we might not be the people we are today if you had a different address."

Kim agreed to both points. "But I want you to make sure there are profiles on all of us on there from now on, Wade. Rufus included."

Wade looked at Ron's pocket, expecting to see the little guy pop up, but he didn't. "Hey, Ron, where is Rufus?"

Ron waved in a dismissive gesture. "Little guy had a rough day at work today, and decided to stay at home when we came over."

Wade nodded. "Okay, but if he's going to have a profile, I want to do it right. Meaning I want it from him."

Ron laughed. "Shouldn't be too hard for a mole rat that is currently the most bon-diggity player on Everlot."

Kim agreed. "Didn't he already completely destroy the new expansion pack?"

Ron hung his head. "Yeah. Little dude hit the new level cap inside of one night. I'm actually tempted to start disconnecting his internet at night so he'll actually get some of the sleep he needs."

Wade grinned. "Knowing him, he'd probably figure out how to reconnect it within two minutes. But back to the point, that also means I want your bio to come from only you, Ron."

Ron groaned. "Aww, man. Wade, giving me homework was Barkin's job."

Kim merely shrugged. "You know, Ron, I wrote my bio. Which reminds me. Wade, I still haven't added that I'm with Ron, have I?"

Wade turned towards the screen and scanned Kim's profile. "No, he's in there. Though it still refers to you two as 'just started dating.' Do you want me to change it?"

Kim smiled. "Please and thank you."

Ron glanced at his watch. "Whoa. KP, we need to head home. It's almost midnight, and you said we should probably try to keep getting home at a decent hour."

Kim nodded. "Right. Pick you up at 5:00 tomorrow, Wade?"

"Sounds good. Just give me a call before you head over. Which reminds me, I have something for you two," he said as he reached behind him. When he turned back towards them, he was holding not one, but two wrist Kimmunicators. One was the regular aqua blue, but the other possessed a casing of deep red, similar to a certain hockey jersey.

"Is that what I think it is?" gasped Ron.

Kim smiled. "Remember back at graduation when I said I had a surprise for you, but that it wasn't quite ready?"

Wade grinned. "Kim asked me to put this together for you about a week before you guys graduated, but for some reason I was having trouble setting up the frequency so that you could contact me or Kim. Then the Lorwardian attack and recent events forced me to put it on the back burner while I repaired the system. I actually just got it done this morning."

He handed the blue one to Kim, and the red one to Ron. Kim naturally slipped hers on, but Ron merely held it carefully, clearly in awe of what he'd received. However, what he said contradicted that.

"Wade, Kim, I really appreciate this, but I don't really deserve it. You know how clumsy I get, and I know these things cost a fortune. I just don't think I'm worthy of it." His face made it clear that he was saying one of the last things he wanted to.

Kim put her hand on his shoulder. "Ronnie, I wouldn't have asked Wade to build this for you if I didn't know you were ready for it. I only wanted it to be a surprise because I wanted it to be special."

Wade cleared his throat and smiled. "Actually, Kim, he's not the only one with a surprise in those. Turn them on."

Both Kim and Ron hit the power button, and followed it with simultaneous gasps. The devices started up like normal, but instead of the usual "KP" logo, it was now a "TP". Kim smiled and threw her arms around Wade.

"Thanks Wade."

Then she turned towards her boyfriend, who still hadn't recovered from his surprise. A mischievous smile crept across her face as she crept up to him, and then, once she was right in front of him, basically tackled him with a gigantic hug and smoldering kiss meant to get rid of all his worries. Ron was caught by complete surprise, and he tumbled backwards, pulling Kim with him. Luckily, they were perfectly lined up with probably the only floor space in Wade's room that was big enough for them to fall down without Ron smacking his head on something. When they finally broke the kiss, Kim helped him up.

"Okay, now I think we really need to get going. Ready, Ronnie?"

Ron smiled. "Sure thing, KP. You go ahead, and I'll be up in a minute. I need to ask Wade about something."

Kim got a confused look, but complied. As she headed up the stairs, she could almost swear she heard them talking about the same thing they had been when she first entered.

_What are those two planning?_ she thought as she reached the top of the stairs.

There she found Monique's older brother Jamal sitting on the couch watching some movie. Kim hadn't really talked to him that much, despite being BFFs with his sister, and really wasn't sure what to say. She stood there for a second before deciding to sit in one of the chairs.

"What are you watching?" she asked tentatively.

Jamal grinned. "Some old detective flick about a bird statue. Couldn't really tell you who the actors are or when it was made. For that matter, I'm not even sure what kind of bird it is. Sometimes I just watch whatever's on."

Kim giggled a bit. "Sounds just like Ron. I swear, if I let him, he might spend every minute of every day parked in front of a TV."

Jamal echoed her laugh. "From what Moni has told me about him, I wouldn't be surprised. Speaking of which, thanks for talking to her earlier, and for that spa trip you're taking her on. I know it means a lot to her, even if she doesn't always say so."

Kim smiled. "No big. She's my best friend, apart from Ron of course. I just can't believe she was afraid what we would think."

Jamal shrugged. "I know. Sometimes she cares a bit too much what other people think about her, despite her claims to the contrary. Plus, it's kind of a touchy subject. She doesn't really like to talk about him."

Kim nodded. "Definitely. Honestly, neither me or Ron had any idea you two didn't live with your parents."

"To be honest, I think you two are only the fourth and fifth people to find out about it. I think the only ones she told about it before this whole alien attack were Wade, you guy's boss over at Club Banana, and that blonde guy she came home with after Prom last year. Think his name was Rick, or something."

"Brick Flagg. Yeah, he left the date he had and spent the rest of the night with Monique, so I'm not surprised he learned about it. Though after seeing the way your dad acted, I can't say I blame her."

Jamal rolled his eyes. "That…person…is not our father. And yeah, I'm sorry you guys had to see that. It just always seems to turn into a shouting match when he and Moni try to talk. Though as you probably saw, I have a hard time keeping my temper around him as well."

Kim shrugged. "I know what you mean. I've yet to run into her, but if I ever see my cousin Joss's mom again, I'm not sure I'll be able to hold it in either. What that woman did to Joss and my Uncle Slim…it just doesn't seem human. I don't even consider her my aunt anymore."

The young man nodded. "Some people just do things for reasons most of us don't understand, I guess."

Kim was about to reply when Ron and Wade reemerged from the latter's basement room. Ron seemed really happy for some reason, and was clapping Wade on the back. They seemed to be talking quietly about something, and if it hadn't been for her finely tuned hearing, Kim wouldn't have even caught the last of what Ron said. As it was, she only became more confused.

"Thanks, man. Even Mrs. Dr. P. couldn't help me out on this."

_Speaking of people doing things for reasons others don't understand,_ she thought as she eyed them both quizzically.

"Ready to go, KP?" Ron said as he came over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Kim nodded, and the two teens bid goodnight to Wade and Jamal, who promised to relay the message to Wade's parents and to Monique. Then they headed for the Stoppable house, Ron still wearing that mysterious goofy smile.

* * *

The next day both Kim and Ron slept until almost 10:00, a move their parents allowed and attributed to how late the two had been out. What they didn't know is that when Kim and Ron had gotten home, they had actually released some of the sexual tension that had developed on the drive over to Wade's house with a pretty heavy make-out session. Kim had once again tried to let Ron touch her chest, but once again had been unable to. Ron had of course understood, and had held her while she shivered for a few minutes, although they did talk. Kim had still been unable to figure out what exactly her boyfriend was planning, but found she wasn't as worried about it now.

When they awoke, the only ones still at the house were Ron's father, who normally worked from home anyway, and of course Hana. Kim's father was helping with getting the Middleton Space Center up and running again, her mom had that procedure, and Ron's mom had gone out to run errands and to swing by the bank where she worked to see about possibly cutting a deal for the Possibles on a rebuilding loan. Jim and Tim were of course back at school, even though most of the students of Middleton High were actually having to use portable buildings for their classrooms. The Tweebs had complained at first, mainly because it meant Chemistry no longer contained any explosions since it was now mostly just watching the teacher doing the experiment while they took notes. Kim found herself somewhat pleased to learn that Bonnie's failed graduation was one of the biggest buzzes on the gossip chain, though for some reason she felt a little sorry for her high school rival.

However, the most surprising part of the morning was that Ron was actually up before her without doing it to watch cartoons. Kim found him in his room at his computer, fully cleaned, dressed, and completely engrossed in whatever webpage he was looking at. When he heard her approaching however, he quickly hit the minimize button.

"Whatcha looking at there, Ronnie?" she asked with grin.

"Oh, just random surfing," he replied, though Kim noticed him close the browser window off the status bar.

_Okay, this calls for the big guns,_ she thought with a smile. However, that smile slowly drifted upside down with her bottom lip pushed out. Her eyes got slowly wide, and she tilted her head to the side, pulling out the secret weapon that had been passed down from her mother and Grandma Carmichael. Then she sat on his lap and looked up at him with begging in her eyes. Puppy Dog Pout full power!

"Ronnie…" she halfway whined, her fingers twirling the shoulder of his shirt in a move she knew added extra firepower to the look.

Incredibly though, he resisted! "Seriously, KP, random surfing."

Kim was flabbergasted to say the least. For the first time in his life, Ronald Eugene Stoppable had _resisted_ _the Puppy Dog Pout!_ However, her mind was quickly set on other things as Ron caught her lower lip in his mouth and began sucking back and forth before transferring to a full-on kiss that left her nothing but putty in his embrace. Few things could have broken the trance, except…

"Ronald! Kim! I need your help! Hana's on the ceiling again!" came the call from his father downstairs.

Ron rolled his eyes. "We'll be there in a minute, Dad," he called back. Then he looked at Kim. "To be continued…"

* * *

June sat against the crumbled wall. "Xander, just how many secret lairs did your parents have?"

Xander fired a viridian-colored power blast at a piece of scrap, instantly obliterating it. "Well, if you don't count the timeshare lair, which dad hates, I'd say somewhere close to around fifty different ones scattered all around."

The young woman shook her head. "We're running out of time, you know? Are you sure you don't know which one they were at when you and Kimono were conceived?"

"You know I don't," he sighed. "My parents aren't as big on talking about that as yours are."

June rolled her eyes. "Mom doesn't talk about it. Dad, on the other hand, doesn't always know when to shut up."

Xander laughed as he fired a blast at a second piece. "Yeah, I've noticed. To tell the truth, I'm kind of surprised he managed not to tell your mom about what he's been planning. You could almost see the wheels turning."

June good-naturedly chucked a small rock at him with the complete intention of missing. "Hey, Dad may be somewhat of a knucklehead on most things, but one thing he's good at is planning things concerning special events and Mom. Besides, if I remember what you've told me correctly, the same thing wasn't so glamorous for your parents."

Xander glanced over his shoulder at her with a smile. "My dad worked with what he had. Besides, he and my mom may have had some semblance of a savings account behind them, but a lot of that went towards cleaning up their image. That and getting themselves set up for a normal life. I think the only place they kept from their old life was the Caribbean island lair. Why I don't know."

Suddenly the piece of metal he'd been examining dropped to the ground. He turned and stared at June, and both got the same idea at once, the result being they shouted it at the exact same time.

"The Caribbean island lair!"

"Jinx! You owe me a soda!" June shouted triumphantly, leaping up in the air while simultaneously activating the jet boots on her battle suit, causing her to hover above the ground.

Xander groaned. "Nnnngg…fine. I must owe you like a million by now."

Then he followed suit and activated his own jet boots. Floating up, he grasped June's hand, and they took off out through the hole in the wall of the mountain lair. As they streaked across the sky, another figure outfitted in a battle suit watched them leave from the ground below. He'd been tracking them using a locator he'd found on his own suit. The figure growled as he realized they were also wearing battle suits. He had believed the one he had finally managed to steal to be the only one in existence.

_So, the fraulein and her so-called-boyfriend have acquired new battle suits. No matter. With the new modifications I have made to this one, it is I who shall be victorious._

With that, he activated his own jet boots and took off after them, a satisfied sneer on his face. He had run simulation after simulation, and knew exactly how they teamed with each other. This time he would not fail in crushing the two troublesome teens with humiliating defeat. However there was one question nagging at the back of his mind as he tailed them at a safe and unnoticeable distance.

Wasn't it the so-called-boyfriend who had blonde hair?

* * *

Shego gasped as she looked at the small instrument before her. She quickly checked the directions again from the container it had come in, knowing full well how easy it was to misuse one of these things. True, she already knew she had missed her time, but this wasn't something you guessed about. If this thing was telling the truth, a few very important changes were sorely necessary. First of all, she had to tell him. As she closed the door to her personal bathroom, the device fell off its precarious position on the edge of the sink and clattered to the floor below. It bounced a few times before coming to rest with its screen facing up and showing that life-altering word.

_Pregnant._

_

* * *

_

"RON! Quit playing around! We're supposed to be picking up Wade right now!" Kim was totally tweaked, and it showed in her voice. Her boyfriend had had plenty of time to get ready, and he was still stuck on choosing an outfit.

"KP, you don't just show up in anything when you're doing a nationally televised interview. What you wear says something." Ron tossed another outfit on his bed, adding to the already impressive pile he had going. Either Jim or Tim was going to have to move a mountain of clothes to get to sleep that night.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Ron, me and Wade are just wearing our normal mission clothes. Why can't you do that?"

Ron pointed at his dresser and the mission shirt drawer. Kim didn't even have to look to know what was going on. Ron hadn't planned on wearing mission clothes at all today, and thus it appeared that every single one of the dozens he owned were dirty. Kim sighed and resigned herself to sitting on one of the few remaining clear spots on his bed.

"Why not just wear your normal clothes?"

Ron turned and looked at her like she had suddenly sprouted two extra heads. "Are you serious? I'd look like a goofball next to you two in your mission wear. It'd be instant fodder for the talk shows tonight."

At that moment, Kim's wrist Kimmunicator went off with the ringtone that signaled Wade merely calling to chat. Scowling, Kim pressed the activation button.

"Sorry, Wade. Ron's having trouble picking out an outfit," she remarked with an annoyed glance at Ron.

Wade grinned. "Figured you'd be the one doing that, Kim."

Kim smiled, but it was obvious the comment had touched a nerve. "Just because I have a bit of fashion sense does not mean I have trouble picking out what to wear. I simply have trouble narrowing it down."

Wade cocked an eyebrow. "Uh, they're kinda the same thing, Kim."

"Fine. We'll be there as soon as we can. Just be ready," she said with a smile. Wade was right after all. But it was still frustrating to be the one waiting on Ron to get ready.

Wade nodded and severed the connection. Almost immediately, an ecstatic shout came out of the recesses of Ron's closet.

"BOOYEAH!"

Kim glanced over at her boyfriend, who was emerging from the closet holding up what was probably his last clean mission shirt. "Do I even want to know where that came from?" she asked as she involuntarily took a step back in anticipation of any emanating odors.

Ron smiled. "Don't worry about it, KP. I forgot that I put this in my closet a while back, just so I'd have a clean one in reserve in case we ever got called away on laundry day."

Kim had to admit she was impressed: Ron had actually thought ahead about something that might never happen. However, as he slipped it on, she couldn't hold back a laugh. It was obvious he'd put the shirt in the closet a size or two ago, because it now pinched him at the neck and arms, making it look like what it was—a grown man trying to fit into a shirt that was slightly small.

"Uh, KP, what size is this?" Ron asked as he turned around and popped out the tag for her to read.

However, as she looked at the tag, Kim found herself both shocked and pleasantly surprised. "Ron, this says it's a men's large. Isn't that what you always wear?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah. I wonder why this one doesn't fit and all the rest do."

"Because, Ron, you've worn those others so much that they stretched out," came the reply.

The two teens turned and saw Ron's mother. She was standing there leaning on the doorway, a smile on her face. Apparently she'd been enjoying the exchange between the two. It also surprised Kim and Ron that neither one had noticed her until now.

"Ron, you've grown a lot this past year, and I'm sure all the workouts you did for football helped things along a bit. I'm a little surprised that the two of you hadn't noticed."

Kim looked over at her boyfriend. She hadn't realized it, but he was more solid and filled out. She also realized she was starting to have to lean up to in order to kiss him if she wasn't in heels. She glanced at a pair of photos he had sitting on his nightstand. One was from their Junior Prom and the other had been taken maybe a week ago by a friend at Lake Middleton. In the Junior Prom picture, she and Ron were basically the same height, evidenced by the fact that they were both on equal footing while they kissed. However, in the Lake Middleton picture Ron was at least a half-head taller than she was. Kim was slightly shocked she hadn't noticed his growth spurt, but she also found herself pleasantly surprised.

"Looks like a trip to Smarty Mart is in order after this interview," Ron remarked.

Kim grimaced. As much as she had tried, she couldn't stop being a label junkie. As a result, she still hated going to the megastore for any reason, particularly clothes shopping. Even if it was for Ron, she still hated the possibility that anyone might see her in the clothing section of Smarty Mart. However, she had to admit it was the best option, especially considering that she remember selling the last men's set of the black turtleneck and cargo pants that Club Banana had had to a customer a few days earlier. She hadn't even realized what she had done at the time until the guy had walked out the door.

Jean smiled. "However, right now, I think you'll be needing this," she said as she held up another of his mission shirts. Kim noticed the faint smell of a mountain breeze scent wafting off the article of clothing, and realized that Ron's mom had probably sensed they were going to need mission wear for this interview.

"Thanks, Mom," Ron replied as he tried unsuccessfully to remove the too-small shirt. After a few more tries, he threw up his hands in defeat. "Uh…little help here."

Kim laughed as she helped him out of it. There was a noticeable ripping sound, further indicating the need for a trip to Smarty Mart following the interview. Ron scooped up a sleeping Rufus and slipped him into the customary pocket. Within the next fifteen minutes they had picked up Wade and were heading for the Channel 6 Middleton news station, where the interview was to take place.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Kim noticed two things. First of all, there was quite a crowd gathered around the building, most of who were holding signs dedicated to either one of the four members of Team Possible or all four of them. They had also started cheering the moment the Sloth had pulled into the lot. She also noticed that every single space was taken up by news vans representing various national and international broadcasts. It seemed like practically every major television news station was represented. She scanned for a place to pull in, but found nothing.

"I thought this was supposed to be an exclusive for the local station," Wade commented from the back seat.

Kim shook her head. "No, they're doing a live national broadcast. But I didn't expect these others to be here."

Ron smiled. "Maybe this'll be the only major one we do."

Kim shook her head again. "No, Ron. We agreed to eight different interviews, and we're going to honor all of them."

Ron scratched his head. "Eight. You've only told me about six."

Kim blushed. "Well, a couple of girl's magazines wanted to do an interview with me now that I'm the girlfriend of a world hero. Besides, two of those interviews I told you about are with men's magazines, meaning you're the only one doing them. Oh, by the way, Wade: Knowledge America magazine wants to know if you'd consent to an interview as well. They called Ron's house instead of going through the website."

Wade nodded. "No problem. They're the ones who interviewed me back when it first came to light about my intelligence and my getting two college degrees by the age of nine."

Ron laughed. "Benefits of super-geniusdom, huh?"

"Yeah," the tech genius laughed. "They actually tried to set up an interview with me back when Rufus got hit by Project Phoebus. Wanted to know how I felt to be outshined by a mole rat, but I declined. Told them it was as simple as not minding being passed by a friend."

At that moment, the object of conversation popped out of Ron's pocket and scampered up to his owner's shoulder.

"Hrk. Parking," he said as he pointed towards the entrance of the building.

A space right by the front door that should have been already occupied was conspicuously empty. The three humans were surprised they hadn't noticed it right off the bat. As Kim pulled up to it, however, all four occupants were shocked to see the sign that somebody had posted.

_Reserved for Team Possible, the Protectors of the World._

"Think somebody went a little overboard with that?" Ron quipped as Kim pulled in and put the vehicle in park. They all looked at each other, then unbuckled and piled out.

_Now this is what something like this is supposed to be like_, thought Kim as they walked towards the building, waving to their fans.

There was a definite charge in the air about Team Possible having arrived, but it was nowhere near as frenzied or as maddening as the media rush they had been through just over a week ago. This one was in complete control, and Kim suspected that it had been planned in advance from the moment they agreed to do this interview. All three humans were taking their time, occasionally stopping to sign autographs or to high-five younger kids. They had all agreed during their meeting the night before that those who looked up to Team Possible (both literally and figuratively) deserved to get the lion's share of their attention if there was a crowd.

Kim noticed with a giggle that several of the people who were asking Ron to come over were actually more interested in the member of the team riding on her boyfriend's shoulder. This was probably the first time that the smallest member of Team Possible was being given his dues for all he did, and Kim was glad that Ron was letting the little guy have his moment in the sun. Rufus seemed to be drinking it up like he still loved to do with the nacho cheese machine at Bueno Nacho. (Their friend Ned, who was now the general manager of the Middleton store, had actually arranged for a second machine that was set up specifically for the mole rat's personal use, but only on the condition that he only use it for ten minutes per visit.) There was even a group of people all wearing shirts with the mole rat's picture emblazoned on them and carrying a large sign that read "Official Rufus Fan Club" in bold pink letters. When Ron brought him over to them, two of the female members of the club even fainted at the prospect of meeting the creature they were so fond of. Kim and Wade both laughed as Ron even put on a little impromptu performance of "Naked Mole Rap" with Rufus doing the beat-boxing for it, and the show was met with a huge cheer from all, particularly the fan club and the kids in the crowd.

What should have been a thirty-second journey from the car to the front door of the news station quickly turned into twenty minutes, and pretty soon a few station employees ushered them inside. The time in the make-up chair took less than two minutes, after which they were led into the studio where the interview was to take place. The room was set up with a rather large audience section, currently empty, and several cameras. There was even a mole-rat sized chair sitting on table next to the chairs where the human members of Team Possible would be sitting. And sitting in the interviewer's chair was Heather Tyler.

Kim and Ron had met her several times before. The news reporter was often the one to cover the missions they had that became national or international incidents. In fact, she had gained quite a bit of notoriety when it came to light that she had been the first one to cover all the stories concerning Drakken's Lil' Diablo scheme. Heather Tyler had managed to get first crack at not only the attempted kidnapping of Nakasumi and the rise in popularity of the Lil' Diablo toys, but also Team Possible's success at stopping the worldwide Diablo destruction. She was generally nice and rarely, if ever, threw in trick questions. In fact, the only criticism either teen had against her was Ron's complaint the she used entirely too much hairspray in her blonde hair, mainly because of one time the tail end had poked him hard with its firm hold not even budging.

"Kim, Ron, it's a pleasure to see you two again. And I take it this fine young man must be Wade Load," she said extending her hand.

"Glad to meet you, Miss Tyler," the tech genius replied.

"Oh, call me Heather. Makes me sound younger," she said with a grin, flashing a brilliant smile that Kim would swear couldn't exist without at least some form of cosmetic whitening procedure.

Kim nodded. "So, Heather, how's this going to go?"

The newswoman sat back down and leafed through a few pages sitting on the table in front of her. "Well, first of off, when I introduce you, you four are going to be entering from stage left over here. Though I assume that Rufus is going to be riding on Ron's shoulder as he is now."

"Hrk. Hrk. Yep," came the reply.

Heather shook her head. "I swear, every time I meet you guys I think I understand him more. Anyways, the interview will basically just be a series of questions, mainly directed towards Ron, about your recent exploits. We also want to ask some things from you Wade, as well as get a few answers from Rufus. And of course, there will be the customary questions for you Kim. Once those are done, we will have some time for audience questions. Now I should warn you ahead of time, though I'm sure you're already aware of it, that since this is a live broadcast we won't be able to edit out anything, so choose your answers carefully. And if you feel you need to clarify something, do so immediately, because I've been instructed by my senior editors to not have any long breaks. That means that if I think you're done with your reply, I have to cut to the next question. Understand?"

The three teens nodded. Heather smiled, and they started walking back towards the green room to await their introduction. Or at least, Kim, Wade, and even Rufus headed backstage. Ron however, hung back to talk to Heather for a second. Curious, Kim stopped just out of sight.

"What? Ron, I don't understand why you wouldn't want me to ask that."

Kim heard Ron shuffling his feet before he replied. "Heather, I've got some things going on that, but I can't do anything about it right now. And no matter how I answer, I'm afraid it's going to look bad and hurt Kim's feelings."

"Ron, anybody who even catches a glimpse of you two knows how solid you two are. I don't see how my asking that could have even the slightest chance of negatively affecting you."

Ron could be heard sighing. "I know, it's just I have a picture of how I want it between Kim and me, and I don't want to do anything to mess that up. Plus, I'm really worried what she'd say if it did come up."

There was a shuffling of papers. "Ron, I'm saying this as a friend to both of you. If I don't ask it here and you don't approach it, one of your other interviews is going to jump all over it. Not to mention what the tabloids are going to try to turn it into. I mean, the very idea of you two not being together would be worth more than gold to those trash rags."

Again Kim heard Ron shuffling his feet. Finally, after what felt to Kim like hours, he spoke up. "Okay. Just don't go into it too deep. Like I said, I have plans, but I can't do anything about it right now considering the situation I'm in. And I don't want to hurt Kim because of that."

"Ron, the last thing I want to do is hurt either of you. I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee the question won't come out of the audience when we let them take part at the end."

"Thanks Heather. I owe you one."

The sound of Ron's footsteps coming towards her sent Kim running towards the green room. However, if she got there just before Ron and slightly out of breath, Wade would ask where she'd been just as Ron walked in. Ron could be dense, but he would probably put two and two together pretty quickly and realize what she'd done. Thinking quickly, she ducked in the bathroom, hoping with everything she had that Ron hadn't seen her. As she leaned against the sink to calm herself, Kim couldn't help but be confused. Ron wanted Heather to avoid asking something that obviously concerned the two of them, and the reporter had strongly advised against it. There was also the fact that Heather had mentioned that if they didn't cover it at least to some extent, the tabloids would jump all over it. Or at the very least, the question would come out of the audience Q&A that was to follow the interview.

Kim didn't know why, but Ron was keeping something of great importance from her. And based on what she'd witnessed last night, Wade was in on it. It was also entirely possible, judging from the talk she'd had with her mom yesterday and what Ron had said last night, that Anne Possible was also in on the secret. For some reason, that irked Kim more than Wade being in on what was going on. She loved both her boyfriend and her mother dearly, but the idea that they were both in on something she was clueless about was frustrating. Even more so when her main weapon against Ron's resolve, her patented Puppy Dog Pout, had failed to get anything out of him.

Looking up at the mirror, Kim was surprised at the look on her face. Without realizing it, she had gained probably the biggest frown she'd ever had, and it had come about all because she couldn't get Ron to share some silly secret with her. Knowing it had probably only popped up due to her frustrations, she quickly shook her head to clear the cobwebs and get rid of the feeling of resentment she hadn't realized had been building. Her mother was right: Ron loved her and would tell her what he was thinking or planning when the time was right. Until then, she would just have to learn how to deal with it. The thought of Ron's love for her sent a warm shiver down Kim's spine, and she nodded confidently at her reflection in the mirror before leaving the bathroom and heading for the green room.

Inside, she found Ron and Wade examining something on Wade's laptop. Deciding that it probably had to do with whatever Ron was cooking up, Kim chose a seat on opposite side of the coffee table from them. They were so engrossed that it appeared they hadn't even noticed her. That possibility quickly disappeared from her mind when she realized that they weren't talking at all, merely pointing and either shaking or nodding their heads. Rufus scampered over to her lap, and she sat there calmly scratching the mole rat right behind his head where it joined his neck.

Soon they heard the audience filing into the studio. It was obvious that the studio hadn't let the entire crowd from outside in, but it still sounded like a fairly excited group was waiting for them to make their appearance. Ron nodded a final time, and Kim saw him slip a piece of paper into his pocket as Wade closed the laptop. Kim also noticed that that wide, goofy grin of his was even wider than normal, and he seemed marvelously contented with himself. She smiled to herself: whatever surprise he had cooking concerning her and their relationship was obviously a good one.

The music for the newscast came on over the green room's speakers, gently signaling for their attention. Then they heard Heather's voice.

"Welcome to a very special edition of Channel 6 Middleton. I'd also like to welcome all of you who are tuning into this broadcast from around the world. Today, we have some very special guests with us. One of these young people has been in our eyes and in our hearts for quite some time, ever since she first rescued the billionaire Mr. Milton Paisley from his own security system nearly five years ago. Since then, she has been around the world more times than most people leave their home states. In the process, she has come up against and foiled every villain she has ever faced, all while managing to maintain and graduate with a solid 4.0 GPA at Middleton High, not to mention having time to fulfill her role as the captain of the Middleton Cheer Squad and still have time to have a social life. Always willing to help people, she has proven many times over that the future is bright indeed with young people like her around. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. We have here in the studio Middleton's own shining star: Kimberly Anne Possible."

A thundering of cheering and applause could be heard from the crowd. Heather waited for it to calm down before continuing.

"However, today she is not alone. Today, we also welcome the other members of the group known as Team Possible. First up is the team's technical guru, a young man who has aced every single test ever put before him and is widely considered to be one of the smartest people on the planet. Many members of the genius and scientific communities already know of him, for he surprised the world when he gained not just one, but two college degrees by the age of nine. Now, many of his inventions and computer breakthroughs are used by the majority of us in our everyday lives. He is the technical genius who runs Kim's website, and he also keeps the team outfitted with the latest in gadgets and advancements in technology, many of which he designs himself. Another Middleton local: Wade Samuel Load."

More cheering followed. Ron looked at Wade.

"Your middle name is Samuel?"

Wade shrugged. "I don't use it that much."

Kim motioned for them to be quiet as Heather's voice continued the introductions.

"Third, we have probably the most inconspicuous member of Team Possible. He has been hailed by some as possibly the smartest animal on the planet, and with good reason. This little guy probably knows more about taking complex machines apart and putting them back together again than most humans could ever hope to learn. Largely in thanks to his efforts, many of the world's criminal elements have had their machines disabled before they could even start their schemes. Also, for you fans of computer games, you know him as the Tunnel Lord, considered by many to be the greatest player of the online world known as Everlot. A constant companion of Team Possible, he can usually be found riding around either on the shoulder or in the pocket of his owner. I give you the one and only Rufus, the naked mole rat."

A huge cheer went up from the audience, and several chants of "Rufus! Rufus! Rufus!" could be heard. After a bit, Heather resumed.

"And finally, the young man who has for many years stayed in the background, content to be the sidekick to Kim Possible. Though he was always there to watch Kim's back and, in his own words, 'serve as the distraction,' he never asked for his own recognition, more than happy to let Kim have the spotlight. Many often wondered if he was more than a mere goofball, brought along purely for his antics. Yet he has proven time and time again that he is more than capable of filling and sometimes surpassing his chosen role in Team Possible. We have even learned recently that quite often it has been he who played the major role in the defeats of the villain known as Monkey Fist, though he never stepped forward to accept the credit. His other talents also include being widely acclaimed as a master young chef, being the person responsible for the creation of Bueno Nacho's signature dish, the Naco, and writing and singing the smash single about his mole rat buddy Rufus, "The Naked Mole Rap." Not to mention, as we have all recently learned, it was he who finally put an end to the recent alien invasion that threatened to end humanity and destroy this planet. And of course, he has the distinct and enviable honor of being the one that Kim Possible has chosen as her boyfriend and the love of her life. I give you the young man who at long last stepped up and saved us all, and the final member of Team Possible: Middleton's own Ronald Eugene Stoppable."

The cheer that followed was deafening, to the point that Kim wondered if the little speaker feeding through to the green room was going to be able to withstand it. She motioned to the others, and they headed for the entrance to the studio. Rufus scampered up to his position on Ron's left shoulder so that he could be clearly seen as they entered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Rufus the naked mole rat, and Wade Load. I give you the one…and only…TEAM POSSIBLE!!"

The cheering and applause started again, and a song started up over the studio's loudspeakers. Kim and Ron instantly recognized it as one of their favorite dance tunes, though they had never figured out why.

_Get up on ya feet now! Gonna rock the place!  
Can'tcha see the smile on my face?  
Give it to me high, give it to me low,  
Give it to me - here we go!  
Get up on ya feet now! Gonna raise the roof!  
Can't stop now, we're comin' on through!  
Yippee-I-ay! Yippee-I-ohhh!  
Get up on ya feet now!_

Team Possible entered smiling and waving, and the cheering grew, almost drowning out the song. Even Kim had never seen so many cameras, and the audience section was completely packed to overflowing—there were even people sitting in the aisles! They quickly made their way over to their seats, though Kim did make time to walk over and give a high five to a little six-year-old girl who was doing her best to get past her parents' attempts to keep her in her front row seat. She was dressed in an outfit identical to Kim's purple mission wear, right down to the way she was wearing her dark brown hair. The child squealed in excitement when she got to high five her hero, and immediately sat back down to watch the show. As the music died down and Kim walked back to her seat, Heather broke out into applause again, joined quickly by the rest of the audience.

"Isn't that why we love this group?" the reporter shouted over the noise.

All four members of Team Possible waved one more time before taking their seats. The crowd quickly quieted down, so fast that Kim wondered if this studio was outfitted with those signs that signaled when to applaud and when to be quiet.

Heather flashed another brilliant smile. "Well now, it's obvious the world loves you guys. So I guess that'll be the first question: How do deal with being practically the center of attention everywhere you go?"

The three teens looked at each other, and both Kim and Wade nodded, so Ron took the question. "To be honest, Heather, we just do our best to act the same as we would if the attention didn't exist. We're just three normal young people who are blessed with the opportunity to get to do some extraordinary things."

Heather nodded. "Well said. Now I know three of you have been in on this from the beginning, but I am curious as to how that started."

Ron looked at Kim, who nodded and answered the question. "Ron and I met in Pre-K, on our first day at Middleton's Building Blocks Pre School. Totally opposite from each other, but somehow we just clicked. Guess it was a major case of opposites attract," she said with a glance at her boyfriend.

Ron picked up the hint. "Yeah. One of the first things she said to me was 'You're weird, but I like you.' Been best friends ever since."

Heather smiled. "If that's not friendship, I don' know what is. This next question I know several people are dying to know. How did Rufus enter the equation? We've all heard the song, but what is your take on it?"

This one fell to Ron by default. "Well, see, my dad is allergic to all kinds, and I do mean _all_ kinds of fur. But I still wanted a pet. So finally just before my fourteenth birthday, my parents finally said I could get one. So I started researching hairless pets. Oddly enough, the day I decided to get a naked mole rat was the same day that Kim set up her website. The next day was my birthday, so I picked him up at the Middleton Smarty Mart, aisle sixteen to be precise, and before I could get a cage he just kind of made himself at home in my pocket."

"Yeah, huh. Comfy," chittered Rufus from his seat.

There was a slight cheer from the "Official Rufus Fan Club".

"Anyways," Ron continued, "we then went on the Paisley rescue the following day, and Rufus helped us get into Mr. Paisley's mansion by disabling the gate security. Afterwards, he also put it back together. Little dude's been with us ever since, normally riding in one of my pockets."

"Interesting," remarked Heather. "And finally, when did you add the final member to join, Wade Load."

Both Kim and Ron looked at Wade. "Well, Heather, I was working on a robot that got out of control on me. I was looking on the web for some help in recapturing it, and I happened to find Kim's website. That was shortly before she started picking up big missions like Drakken, Dementor, and the like. I wasn't too impressed by her website, but the way she handled herself against my robot was something to watch. So I offered to help run her website. I had a lot of free time on my hands since I finished high school and college in eight months, and since I didn't have anything else to do, I turned my attention towards inventing gadgets and gizmos for her to use on missions. I also set up the Kimmunicator system, which luckily went online just before her 9th grade year, since that was when she started getting the big hits. Also started coordinating her rides and keeping a database on favors and stuff so it'd be easier to keep track of. The rest, as they say, is history."

Heather nodded and smiled. "That's a perfect lead in to our next question. Kim, Ron, you seem to be able to get a ride to anywhere any time you need it. Can you explain that to us?"

Kim nodded. "Well, I guess you could say our very first major ride was from my neighbor Mrs. Mahoney, who offered to take us to Upperton for the Paisley rescue as thanks for saving her cat from a tree. Then Mr. Paisley offered a ride to the mission that followed, and it was just sort of a domino effect from that point on."

Ron agreed. "And unlike Team Impossible, we never thought to ask for payment. We were just helping people, so people just started paying us in favors and rides. As time progressed, we started getting calls to help people we'd helped before, and they asked if they could be put on a permanent ride list. So that's what Wade did."

Wade added to it. "Now I pretty much have a large enough database of people we've helped that I can get them to any point in the world as quickly as possible."

Kim smiled. "I think one of those people, Bernice, put it best when she said, 'As long as you're willing to help people, people are willing to help you.' It's kind of a 'Pay It Forward' sitch I guess, and it just keeps growing. We haven't had to rely on it as much since I have a car now, but it's nice to know we have such a great network of friends who can back us up. We consider them as much a part of this team as the four of us."

Heather smiled again. "So how long do you four think you'll be doing this?"

All three humans looked at each other, smiled, and nodded to Rufus.

"Hrk. Long time."

Heather nodded, and then turned towards the camera. "Okay, well I think it's time we take a break here. Stay tuned, because when we come back we'll have more with the heroes of the hour, Team Possible. Including some all important questions about Kim and Ron, as well as some questions for Ron about the recent attack. Keep it here on Channel 6, Middleton News."

* * *

Somewhere approximately two thousand miles away, in a run-down hotel in a small town on the east coast, a bottle flew through the air and smashed a TV showing the Team Possible interview. No one came running, however, because the occupant of that room had generally kept to themselves the entire time they'd been there. In fact, other than the normal everyday routine, the person had done nothing but train, and train hard, for the day coming in less than a week, when they would put their plans into action. Plans that required them to be better, faster, and stronger than they were four years ago. The two teens had better watch out, because this person was going to push them to their limits. Because there was only one thought on this person's mind as they counted down the days to the inevitable confrontation.

_Revenge on the two who humiliated me: Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. No more games, no more stunts, just some FR-EAKY revenge._

_

* * *

_

a/n

Sorry about cutting the big interview in the middle like that, but I ran out of words. So unless I wanted this chapter to be super long, I had to cut it there. Plus, I like the effect of the "mystery villain" smashing the TV in the middle of the broadcast...gives it a more ominous feel in my eyes. Anyways, hope you guys are enjoying. And as always, I always enjoy comments. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 is up and running!

Sorry about breaking up the interview, but my explanation for that can be found at the end of last chapter. However, I've worked on this one tirelessly to have it ready quickly to make up for it.

Again, this pace will not continue once I find another job, which will hopefully happen soon. But on to the story:

The interview continues, and Team Possible fields some questions about their relationship. Then its time for audience participation, and it forces Kim and Ron to look hard at what they mean to each other.

A mysterious man shows up afterwards. What could he want?

Shego confronts Drakken about what she suspects. How will he react?

Finally, Kim and Ron get the shock of their lives when past exploits lead to something unexpected.

So the drama!

And now for the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

Heather smiled again. "So how long do you four think you'll be doing this?"

All three humans looked at each other, smiled, and nodded to Rufus.

"Hrk. Long time."

Heather nodded, and then turned towards the camera. "Okay, well I think it's time we take a break here. Stay tuned, because when we come back we'll have more with the heroes of the hour, Team Possible. Including some all important questions about Kim and Ron, as well as some questions for Ron about the recent attack. Keep it here on Channel 6, Middleton News."

* * *

Somewhere approximately two thousand miles away, in a run-down hotel in a small town on the east coast, a bottle flew through the air and smashed a TV showing the interview. No one came running, however, because the occupant of that room had generally kept to themselves the entire time they'd been there. In fact, other than the normal everyday routine, the person had done nothing but train, and train hard, for the day coming in less than a week, when they would put their plans into action. Plans that required them to be better, faster, and stronger than they were four years ago. The two teens had better watch out, because this person was going to push them to their limits. Because there was only one thought on this person's mind as they counted down the days to the inevitable confrontation.

_Revenge on the two who humiliated me: Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. No more games, no more stunts, just some FR-EAKY revenge._

_

* * *

_

As soon as the red lights signaling the cameras were running switched off, Heather Tyler turned and grinned at them.

"You two guys are doing really well so far. With Kim I expected this, but I think this is the first time I've ever talked to you two. Have either of you ever been on TV before?"

Wade smiled. "Well, when I was younger they did a lot of stories on me, but I didn't really understand what was going on then. This is the first interview I've ever done where I knew what was happening."

Ron, however, looked kind of sheepish. "Umm, I was the one freaking out when you did that story on the growing popularity of the Lil' Diablo toys at Bueno Nacho."

Heather snapped her fingers in recognition. "I knew I'd seen you somewhere else besides just with Kim. We get hundreds of calls to the station about the 'boy who freaked out at Bueno Nacho.' It's good to see you've been doing better."

Ron grinned and reached for Kim's hand. "Well, when I've got a woman who's this bon-diggity, how can I not be doing better?"

Kim smiled. "Ronnie, that's sweet."

Heather nodded. "To tell the truth, my editors wanted to do a story on you two back when you first got together, but I wouldn't take it. Sometimes they forget you two are still just kids."

Ron laughed a bit. "Actually, I've been a legal adult since September 1st, cause that's when I turned 18."

Heather blinked a few times. "Really now? And Kim, what about you? When do you hit official adulthood?"

Kim smiled. "May 31st. Less than a week to go and I'm not sure I can wait."

Heather nodded. "I'll bet. Say, do you mind if I re-ask this when the cameras come back on."

Kim shook her head. "No big. Just don't bring up that whole 'zodiac compatibility' thing. Our relationship works, and we don't pay attention to that sort of stuff anymore."

The reporter smiled. "Deal. All I'll mention is what sign you are. Speaking of which, if you need to find the restroom sign, might be a good idea to do it soon. We only have a few more minutes before those cameras come back on."

Kim immediately got up and headed for the restroom. Her slight frame didn't lend itself well to holding it in. She glanced back, and noticed that Ron was following her, probably doing the same thing. After watching him down multiple servings of Grande-size Slurpster at Bueno Nacho during lunch, she wasn't in the least bit surprised.

A few minutes later, they returned to their seats. Wade had his laptop open, and seemed to be chatting with someone about something serious. As she got closer, Kim noticed he was video chatting with Dr. Director. However, the chat window closed soon after she saw it.

"What's the sitch, Wade?"

The young man looked up at her. "Hey, Kim. Dr. Director was just asking me some technical questions about their systems. She also called to let me know that Global Justice had a minor problem with D. N. Amy they were dealing with. She'll let me know if they need you and Ron, but she thinks they have it under control at the moment."

"Spankin'," she replied.

If G.J. was starting to be able to deal with threats again, Kim wouldn't have to worry as much about getting calls at all hours. So far, it hadn't happened, since the criminal underworld was evidently still recovering from the invasion just like the rest of the planet. However, it had been there in the back of her mind so much that Kim had not had a really decent night's sleep since their meeting with the head of the spy network. However, part of that had to do with worrying about what would happen if Betty Director were no longer the leader of the organization. Her comment about where Ron would have been if the other guy were in charge had hit a little too close home for Kim, especially considering what they'd learned from Xander and June. If she did something as "evil Kim," would that be the end of the woman's career, or would it passed off like the Zorpox incident had been? Kim made a mental note to ask her future daughter the next time she saw her if the girl would mind if Kim personally incinerated the plans for the infernal device that was causing them so much trouble.

Shortly thereafter, the red lights on the cameras again came on, signaling they were once again live. Heather smiled into them.

"Welcome back to Channel 6 Middleton News. If you're just joining us, we're doing something special tonight. Here in the studio we have the four members of Team Possible. They are teen hero Kim Possible, her partner Ron Stoppable, Rufus the naked mole rat, and tech genius Wade Load, all of whom hail from right here in Middleton, Colorado. Before the break, we learned just how these four special individuals came together to form a team. We also learned that, according to them, their team isn't just them, but everyone who has ever helped them out."

There was a smattering of applause and cheering.

Heather turned towards the team. "Now, before we went to commercial, you guys stated that you'll be doing this for a long time. Any idea just how long that will be?"

All eyes turned to Kim. "Well, Heather, we'd love to do this until the end of time, but we all know that's probably not realistic. But as long as we still feel able to do it and are up to the task, we'll keep at it. However, we can't say that it won't change when we get older. We all agreed long ago that if we felt the missions were starting to interfere with us having normal lives, we'd back off. And if it was still a problem, that would be the end of it. I mean, we all realize that there will most likely come a day when I'm simply unable to jet around the world, and that if that comes, we'll decide what to do then. I do want it to go on record, though, that if that were the case right now, I'd have no problem trusting the fate of the world to these three."

Heather smiled. "That brings us to our next area of questions, something all your fans are probably dying to know. Kim and Ron, you two, if the rumor mills are true, have been together for over a year now, but everyone is curious how that started, and why you chose each other. Would you care to give us a peek into why you two work as a couple?"

Kim smiled and squeezed Ron's hand, and he spoke up. "To be honest, Heather, we work because we mesh well together. In the areas where I have flaws, Kim has strength, and vice versa. If you go by any of the rules about relationships, we shouldn't work. Everything, be it Astrology, Animology, or any of that other stuff says we shouldn't be able to make it work, but we do because of who we are. That and I have the most amazing young woman on the planet as my girlfriend," he added with a smile.

Heather nodded. "Speaking of Astrology and related topics, it seems that while most know many facts about the two of you, one thing that strangely most don't know is your birthdays or ages. Care to let us in on it? And I'm asking all four of you."

Wade smiled. "Well, I turned 13 on January 26th, so now when people call us the three teens, they're actually right."

Kim nodded. "I actually hit 18 in about a week, on May 31st. And to be honest, I can't wait. It's kind of frustrating that we were considered old enough to jet around the world and save it when we were 14, but couldn't get a hotel room for overnight missions by ourselves. I can't count the number of times we had to go ahead and grab a midnight ride home just because we weren't legally allowed to rent a place to sleep for the night."

Heather laughed a bit. "I'll bet. And by the way, Happy Early Birthday."

"Thanks Heather."

The reporter turned to Ron. "What about you and Rufus?"

Ron shrugged. "To be honest, we don't really know how old Rufus is, only that I've had him for almost four years. As for me, I turned into a full adult on September 1st. I'm officially the oldest of the group at 18."

Heather smiled. "Well it seems to me you've handled it well so far. However, something I have to ask of you, Wade. Why is it that you've picked two people who are five years older than you as two of your closest friends?"

Wade grinned. "To be honest, our friendship just kind of grew from what we do together. I'm sure Kim and Ron will tell you, when they first met me I was probably the most introverted, closed-off person in the world. They've really gotten me to open up. Just like with their relationship with each other, none of us could tell you why the friendship works, it just does. Sometimes I think that's part of what makes this whole team work, the fact that we're friends and more in spite of what the rules or others say about it."

"Interesting answer," remarked Heather. "Okay, now we've come to the big question of the hour, and probably the reason we're all sitting here. For many years now, Kim has been the star and the one to save the world. But according to what we've recently learned, Ron was the one who saved the world when the aliens had us all of us, including Kim, down for the count. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Simple," replied Kim. "My boyfriend stepped up and showed everyone else what I already knew about him: he's a true hero. In all the sitches and missions we've faced over the years, when things looked their darkest is when he shined the brightest."

Ron smiled. "All I know is that I saw what was happening, that the world was in trouble and so was Kim, and I trusted in my own abilities to save it and her. I can't really tell you how I did it, just that it happened. I'm just glad I was able to step up when it counted."

Heather nodded. "So are we, Ron, so are we. I think I speak for everyone when I say that all of us, the entire planet, owe you both a debt as big as the one we've owed Kim for years and an apology to match it."

Ron grinned. "No apology necessary. As my girl is so fond of saying, it's 'No big.' I'm just happy I was up to the task."

Heather turned towards the camera. "Okay, now we have a few questions coming out of the audience, as well as a few that have been submitted to us from all over the world. And of course, all four of you have the option of declining to answer anything you feel uncomfortable with. Also, I would remind the audience that any questions that are considered inappropriate will be cause for our security to eject you from the studio premises."

All four members of Team Possible looked at each other with relief. Though they had prepared the night before for the possibility of those kinds of questions coming up, they had all been secretly hoping that they wouldn't need to answer them.

"Now, for our first question, how about we get someone from our studio audience. Umm, yes, the little girl in the front row."

Kim saw with a smile that it was the same girl she had high fived before the interview started.

"Umm, do you ever gets scared on missions?"

Ron and Wade looked at Kim, who nodded. "Well, I guess the answer would be yes, we do. But we also use that fear to stay focused so that whatever we're afraid of doesn't hurt us. Or if it manages to, it doesn't hurt us as much as it could."

Heather scanned the crowd again. "Yes, you in the back with the dark hair and black-rimmed glasses."

A nerdy-looking boy stood up. "Yes, my question is for the Tunnel Lord, a.k.a. Rufus. What would you say you're favorite food would be."

They all turned to Rufus. "Hrk. Nacos. Churros. Cheese!"

The whole audience laughed, as did most of the camera people and Heather.

"Okay, I think our next question should come from our home audience. We have here a letter from all the way over in Moscow, Russia. And I should mention that we've had expert translators working on every international letter we received to make sure we asked what you wanted to know. Yuri Romanov, age 36, writes, 'Kim, Ron, and Rufus have always been the ones out in the field. I was wondering if Wade ever gets tired of being the one stuck at the computer.'"

Wade smiled. "Well, I've actually been out in the field a few times since our encounter with Team Impossible, which was my first time to get involved in a more hands-on way. And I have to say I'm perfectly happy being the tech guy. I mean, sure, sometimes I wish I could do some of the things these guys can do, but at the same time I know I'm able to play a bigger role by staying at the ops center and giving them backup where they need it."

Heather nodded. "Okay, let's get our next question from here in the studio. Yes, you in the Middleton High shirt."

Kim recognized the girl as one she'd seen in the halls back at school.

"I was just wondering if you feel you missed anything, any of the three of you, because of what you do. You know, if you had an idea of high school or social life that you didn't get to experience because of the missions."

Ron shook his head. "Well, every person's high school experience is different. If you're asking if we missed the basic core of high school, I don't think any of us would say so. If you mean the classic high school experience, then I'd say the only thing I might feel I missed would be the parties, but I'm not that big into that anyway, so it doesn't really affect me so much."

Kim nodded. "I would have to say I agree with Ron on the basic core. On the classic view, I'd say the only thing I really missed was the typical high school student downtime. I didn't miss out on it completely, mainly because I had some great friends who would pull me aside when they saw me getting too stressed and take me out with them to grab a smoothie or go on a shopping trip. Also, we both had to keep on top of our work as much as possible, because we never knew when we'd get called off on a mission. And for the most part, I'd say we did just fine on that, especially if you consider we both graduated with solid GPAs."

Wade had a sort of half-smile on his face. "I knew from the start that I wasn't going to have a normal educational experience. I mean, I'm just now at the age that most kids are in maybe 7th or 8th grade, and I've already finished both high school and college. Do I think I missed something? No, not really, because I still get to hang out with friends, and I still have to deal with the basics of teenage life like crushes and changing friendships. I just don't have to deal with the school scene while I do that."

Heather smiled. "Okay, how about another international letter. This one comes to us from Sydney, Australia. Michelle Vaughn, age 16, writes, 'Kim, I was wondering why you chose to be with Ron when you did? I know he's a great guy, but it just seems to me that if you've always been friends with him, you would have seen the attraction a lot sooner."

Kim smiled and shrugged. "Well, to be honest Michelle, you're right. I didn't see it at first because I wasn't looking for it in him. See, I'm just a normal teenage girl like you, and I'm just as susceptible to the pressures of friends and the 'food chain' as you are. I thought that being who I was necessitated having a boyfriend of equally high social standing, and Ron wasn't. He was fine as a best friend, but not as a boyfriend. Luckily I got a wakeup call from being played by a fake guy sent at me by Dr. Drakken, and I realized that it didn't matter what others thought, it only mattered what I felt in my heart. And my heart tells me that Ron is the guy for me."

Ron shifted in his seat. "Uhh, Heather, I'd like to address this as well, if you don't mind."

The reporter smiled. "I don't see why not."

Ron grinned. "It probably didn't help that I didn't ever really tell Kim how I felt about her until that night we were at Bueno Nacho headquarters to stop Drakken's plans. I mean sure, I had thought about it, and really who hadn't, but I'd never had the guts to tell her that I considered her more than a best friend. I couldn't really tell you where it started, but I've felt this way about Kim for a long time. I'm just glad we've got the chance to be together now."

As he finished, Kim reached over and took his hand in hers, lacing his fingers with her own.

Heather smiled. "Okay, audience. Umm, yes, you in the fourth row with the blonde hair and red shirt."

A middle-aged woman stood up. "Yes, I was just wondering how long you two kids are going to be together. You seem awfully young to me to be deciding to be together for the rest of your lives."

Kim looked over at Ron and saw the gulping motion move down his throat. This must have been the question line she'd overheard him asking Heather to avoid. Hoping to save her boyfriend from sticking his foot in his mouth, she quickly spoke up.

"Well, we are taking it one day at a time. Of course, we look at the future and see what we want, but we do our best not to let our view get so far ahead that we forget to enjoy the time in front of us. We're not the perfect couple, and we've had our fights. But we do our best to work through them, and so far we've yet to hit a wall too tall for us to climb. We both realize that despite being called to shoulder adult responsibility, we're both still young. We still have a lot of growing to do and things to experience, like college, but for right now we fit each other's plans. I can tell you right now we're not going to go off and elope as soon as I turn 18, but I can tell you that as of this moment, I love Ron with my whole heart. And if I look at my future from this point, I don't see anyone I'd rather spend my life with." She glanced over at him as she finished, and was pleased to see he was visibly relaxed.

Ron nodded. "Like Kim said, we just take things as they come. Who knows where this is going to take us, or what would happen if we met something we couldn't handle, but for now we're just enjoying the ride and each other, and that's the way we like it. So to answer your question, we'll be together as long as we both think its working." With that, he leaned over to Kim and the two shared a very quick but loving kiss, mindful that they were still live on national TV.

Heather nodded. "Yes, you in the back corner with the black shirt." As soon as she acknowledged the man, however, Heather pressed her security alert button, because the man was wearing a shirt with a very mature drawing of Kim on it. She only hoped that his question didn't cross the line and make the two teens uncomfortable."

"Yeah, I was just wondering how often you two have gone at it on the way back from a mission?"

Heather stood and pointed at the offender. "Security, remove that man at once!" As the guy was taken away, she turned to Kim and Ron and spoke clearly and concisely so that the rest of the audience, both studio and home, could hear and understand her. "Don't worry about answering that, you two. No one who truly knows you would ever suspect that of you." Then she turned towards the cameras. "We do apologize for that ladies and gentlemen. Questions from the audience have not been screened, and we here at Channel 6 Middleton did not expect that to happen to such wonderful young people."

She shook her head and smiled again. "Now, then, how about another question from the home audience. This one comes to us all the way from the small town of Happy Point, Alaska. Janet Dawson, age 32, asks, 'Ron, you constantly claim that you are happy to let Kim have the spotlight. Why do you not step up and claim the credit when it clearly belongs to you, such as the times when you were the one responsible for Team Possible defeating Monkey Fist?"

Ron smiled one of the biggest smiles Kim had ever seen. "Honestly, Mrs. Dawson, I don't see the credit as mine, I see it as still belonging to Kim. While I may have been the one to stop him, without Kim I'm not there in the first place. It's because of her that I get to even go on most of these missions. Without her, I would most likely be just another goof-off sitting at home here in Middleton, probably playing video games and stuffing myself on Bueno Nacho. The majority of what I am, I can attribute in some way, shape, or form to my friendship and now relationship with this absolutely wonderful woman."

Heather nodded. "Now, we have time for one last question, and for this one, we going to our international audience once more. This time our question comes all the way from the opposite side of the world in the town of Cercemaggiore, in the heart of Italy. Sergio Balboa, age 8, asks, 'To all of Team Possible, what is one thing you hope to accomplish before you stop being heroes?'"

Wade grinned, and both Kim and Ron nodded at him. "Well, I think we all just want to make sure the world is a better place for our efforts. If what we do inspires one even one person, including you, Sergio, to do something great with their life, then Team Possible has accomplished what we set out to do. Right, guys?"

Ron agreed. "Exactly. We are able to do what we do simply because we believe we can make a difference by trusting in our own abilities. If that shows someone else that they can also follow their dreams, then we'll be happy with it when we finally hang up the mission gear."

Kim nodded. "That's right. I may use the phrase a lot more than most because it's my name, but 'Anything is Possible' really rings true for anyone. You just have to have faith that you can accomplish your goals, and then put your everything towards that. If you do that, then even if you fall short, you'll know you gave it everything you have, and you'll still be the winner."

Heather smiled. "Well, unfortunately, that's all the time we have. Channel 6 would like to extend a special thank you to you, Team Possible, both for tonight and all you have done and continue to do."

"You're very welcome, Heather, and thank you for having us," Kim replied with a smile.

"Definitely," agreed Ron casually, though Kim could sense there was more behind his thank you than hers.

"It's been a pleasure," said Wade.

"Hrk. Uh huh. Uh huh. Thank you," chittered Rufus as he hopped back on Ron's shoulder.

Heather turned back towards the cameras. "And so, from all of us to all of you, have a safe rest of your evening. I'm Heather Tyler, here with Team Possible, and they and all of us here at Channel 6 Middleton News wish you and yours a good night."

The red lights clicked off, and all of Team Possible visibly relaxed. Rufus even decided on sitting on Ron's shoulder rather than standing on it. Ron reached over to pat the little guy.

"Don't worry, buddy. Just a little bit longer and you can go back in the pocket and rest."

The mole rat sighed in relief, the popped back up on his feet.

Heather smiled at the group. "If you guys aren't too tired, would you mind doing a meet-and-greet with our studio audience? A lot of them really want to shake hands with you guys."

Kim nodded. "No big."

Heather motioned for the security to remove the ropes blocking the audience from the stage, and the fans surged forward, though Kim noticed with some relief it seemed a good deal calmer than the crowd that had been outside. As the line moved past her, she was pleased to see that people weren't just shaking hands with her and then leaving, they were going through the whole team—even Rufus was getting plenty of attention. Of course, that had been the message they intended to send tonight, that they were Team Possible, emphasis on the "Team" part. All in all, it was enjoyable, even if they could see practically nothing but spots from all the pictures for a few minutes after the last person left. Wade got up to check with the station manager if they could get a copy of the tape so they could use it in case anything was severely misquoted in the coming days. That left Kim and Ron sitting there alone in the empty studio for a few minutes.

"Hey, KP, did you mean what you said back there? About not seeing anyone else you'd rather spend the rest of your life with?" Ron sounded tired, almost as if he wished he were the one sleeping in the pocket while Rufus was the one awake.

Kim smiled. "Of course, Ronnie. I meant every word of it." To prove it, she drew him to her for one scorcher of a kiss.

When Ron pulled back, his eyes had lost all trace of exhaustion. "Man, wish I'd had that for an alarm clock. Barkin would have never nailed me for a single tardy."

Kim grinned. "Speaking of school, I think we might want to look seriously at G.V.U. I mean, it fits most of our criteria. It's not in Middleton, it's not too big but not too small, and it's got good programs for both of us."

Ron was about to reply that it was more like the university "borrowed" all their programs, but then something crossed his mind. "Hey, KP, I just realized something. You've never told me what you want to major in."

Kim shrugged and leaned forward with her elbows on her thighs. "To be honest, Ronnie, I really don't know myself. I mean I always say I can do anything, but now it really is true. Once I knock out the general education classes, whatever I want to do, I can do. And if Wade's right about this school, which I suspect he is if Betty's trying to make sure we can still both go, we can pick the best in the land to learn from. I mean, it's like somebody is saying, 'Here's whatever you want to do and whoever you want to learn it from,' and they know I can't just pick outright. Plus, I can't say for certain if I pick something now that I'm not going to want change halfway through…mmmmmm." Her train of thought was interrupted by Ron's gentle rubbing of her lower back.

"That feels really nice, Ronnie. I think I know one of the things I want for my birthday from you."

Ron smiled and continued rubbing. "What's that, KP?"

Kim turned her head so that her hair covered half her face while she looked at her boyfriend. It came across as very, _very_ sexy.

"I want a full back massage done like this one from you at least once a day until I turn 18 on Wednesday," she purred, winking at him with her visible eye.

Though the rubbing continued, Ron got very nervous. "Okay, that works all but Friday. I have to work that day at Smarty Marty and then cover an extra shift that night to make up for tonight."

Kim pouted a little but agreed. After all, she was going to have cover an extra shift over at Club Banana for the same reason. "Okay. Starting tomorrow then."

At that moment, a man dressed in a suit entered the studio and approached them. He was wearing what looked like a very expensive suit and shades, and he carried a dark brown briefcase.

"Mr. Stoppable, we need to talk."

* * *

The look on that blue face had Shego completely confused. She'd expected to render him speechless, what she hadn't expected was the look in his eyes that followed her statement.

"Dr. D., I think I might be pregnant," she said again.

Drakken had frozen in the midst of what he was doing and looked at her. The result was that he looked like one of those mad chemists who pour too much into a beaker on purpose. As it was, the chemical he was pouring was completely missing its intended container and splashing on the lab table. Thankfully, it wasn't something that would hurt him if he touched it, or at least she didn't think it was. After a minute he seemed to come to. He set down both beakers in the mess that had been created, and lifted his goggles to peer at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Shego nodded nervously. "I can't be 100% yet, but a home test says I am. I'm also late, and I've never been late in my life. If I am, it hit on the absolute last day it could have before I started."

Drakken removed his lab goggles and set them on the table. "So, how do you feel about it?"

Shego looked at him. "Well, it's not something I planned on, I can tell you that. But at the same time, I'm not going to stop it. If I have to do this alone, I will. And I'll kick butt while I'm at it."

Drakken smiled. "Sheila, you won't have to do this alone. Mother may not be happy about the way we did things, but I promise you we'll put it right. I'm not saying let's go find a Justice of the Peace right now, because I don't know if we're ready for that right now. But you are not going to be alone. I promise that." With that, he turned back to his workstation and started cleaning up, whatever experiment he'd been doing apparently completely abandoned.

Shego looked at her employer turned lover with a surprised look on her face. Of all the reactions she'd expected out of him, this one hadn't been high on the list. True, it was one of the ones she'd hoped for, but her hopes hadn't been high. Normally when things went a little off track, he panicked and got frustrated, but something about this was evidently different in his eyes. Somehow, he was pulling out a strength she'd never seen before. She agreed they weren't ready for the big "M" word, but the very fact that he was willing to stick around was a very pleasant turn of events, and it bolstered her confidence.

It bolstered it enough to consider other problems they were about to face as she started walking slowly back to her personal quarters. Problems like what would happen if they pulled another scheme and got caught like they'd been after the Lil' Diablo plan had gone south. True, they could normally escape pretty quickly, but would she still be able to that in six months? Not to mention that she wasn't going to be able to go toe-to-toe with Miss Priss once she started showing. But at the same time, Shego was worried what he'd say if she asked him to take a break. Drakken could be a real workaholic when he got down to it, and plus he loved being a mad scientist. As she thought about that, she was suddenly struck with a flash of inspiration.

Many times they'd talked about the effects a certain device had on them, and how terrible it would have been if they'd both been zapped at the same time. But now, thinking about it more, would it really be so bad? Of course, they'd need help once the change was performed, particularly where a certain annoying spy network was concerned. And as far as Shego knew, there weren't that many people they were well acquainted with who would be willing to turn them good and then let them go. Of course, there were always her brothers, but while she had an inkling they'd be willing to help her, they were much more likely to turn her to good before turning her employer-turned-boyfriend over to the authorities. That wasn't a situation she was even close to willing to deal with.

That last thought caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Boyfriend. For maybe the first time in her life, Shego had an honest-to-goodness boyfriend. True, she'd had boyfriends back when she was attending Go City Central High, but practically all of them had turned out to be jerks and frogs who were only interested in dating her so they could claim they were with the "hot" member of Team Go. The same thing had happened in college, though a few of those pit-stains had taken it further than simply dating her and then bragged about it all over the campus of Go City University. Since then, she couldn't really call any of her other relationships more than flings or affairs. Even that brief thing she'd had with that teacher at the Princess's high school couldn't really be called an actual relationship.

Shego entered her room, shutting the door behind her, and flopped down face-first on her bed. She lay like that for several minutes before she rolled over on her back and placed her left hand on her midsection. A million thoughts were running through her head, and she shut her eyes and put her other arm over her eyes in a vain attempt to shut them out. However, one thought kept shooting to the front, and it managed to break through her defenses.

_I wonder if the Princess and her boyfriend ever have to deal with stuff like this._

Suddenly Shego's eyes flew open, and she sat bolt upright so quick she felt a little whiplash in her neck. As she rubbed it, the idea started to take shape. The two teens did owe her for the kick she'd given Drakken to stop him from spilling the beans about the boy's abilities to Global Justice, giving the young man time to prepare his explanation. They were also in debt to her from the times she'd saved Kimmie from being killed by Warmonga or by Drakken when he had been possessed by that pirate ghost. One call or click, and she could settle that debt quickly and cleanly. She only hoped they'd be willing to help.

She quietly padded over to her door and silently turned the deadbolt. She didn't want Drakken to pop in on her unexpectedly, especially when she was about ask for help from one of his greatest foes. She quickly went over to her personal computer, thankful that she wasn't on the lair's official network. Before she could change her mind, she brought up the needed website, typed in the information, and submitted it. As she closed the browser, she couldn't help but laugh to herself.

_Boy, isn't the Princess in for a surprise…_

_

* * *

_

It seemed to Ron that the past few hours had been a complete blur while at the same time moving at a snail's pace. The man with the briefcase had requested to follow them home, saying that he needed to speak to both Ron and his parents. Kim and Ron had agreed, saying they just need to drop Wade off first. Once they were back at his house, he introduced the man to his parents, and the meeting began with Ron in the room. However, that had been a mere formality, because as soon as the man saw Gene and Jean Stoppable, Ron might as well have not existed. The part of the meeting he was allowed to see lasted all of five minutes, and he never did learn who the man was working for, only that he represented a very large corporation. What surprised him even more is that he was asked to get Kim's parents as well, while he and Kim were ordered to stay out of the dining room.

Now he sat in the living room with Kim, her head on his lap as he flipped through the TV channels. Neither one of them had heard a peep from behind the dining room doors, and his parents had closed the blinds on the glass doors so that the two teens couldn't even read lips. It had been over three hours since the man arrived, and two hours since the Drs. Possible had been asked to enter. It bugged him just slightly more that Kim didn't even seem the least bit curious. She had her nose buried in some book she'd gotten during her senior year of AP English at Middleton. It was putting him off quite a bit, to the point he couldn't even pay attention to what was on the TV, even though it was a _Fearless Ferret_ marathon, which he hardly ever missed. Originally he'd turned it on as a distraction, but it wasn't even doing that anymore.

Kim could sense that Ron was stewing about something, but there was nothing she could do. She had originally tried to distract him, but he just couldn't get into the kissing. She'd finally given up shortly after her parents had been summoned to join the meeting. That seemed strange to her, but there was nothing she could do about it so she let it slide. She was also the one who had suggested her BF tune in to the _Fearless Ferret_ marathon, since it was one of his favorite shows, but it seemed that now he was in such a funk that it was no longer working. However, as long as he seemed content to sit there and channel surf with her head on his lap, she wasn't going to push the issue. Just like whatever he had up his sleeve, she knew he'd talk about it when he was ready.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they were called in to the dining room. What they were told made both their eyes grow wide as saucers.

"Kimberly, Ronald," started Gene Stoppable, "this gentleman here is Mr. Sikes, and he is the official lawyer for the Bueno Nacho Corporation. He came over here because they believe there are some things to settle up with you two."

Kim and Ron looked at each other in surprise before grabbing seats at the table.

James Possible continued. "It seems that when they started totaling up the numerous gains they have acquired because of you two, they realized that there were certain accounts that needed to be settled. First off, there is of course the matter of Ronald's invention of the Naco, but there are also things that they owe you, Kimmie."

Kim did a double-take. "Me? What do they owe me?"

Anne Possible smiled. "Well, Kim, it seems that it was due to your suggestion that they came out with that Hablamos Salad, and it's become one of their biggest sellers. Not to mention the fact that the two of you are the reason that the restaurant was able get back into business so quickly after Dr. Drakken's failed Lil' Diablo schemes. Plus, according to their records, you two are the most loyal customers in the history of the company, even more so than the founders."

Ron's mouth dropped open. "We've given you more business than Carmen and Carlos Ortega?"

Kim nodded. "I suppose that happens when we go there practically every day after school."

Mr. Sikes spoke like he was some sort of government agent, not some high-priced lawyer. "Affirmative. Our records show you eating there almost every day since the Middleton location opened, not to mention that young Mr. Stoppable was the first ever customer the location had on opening day. We even have a period of time recorded where it would appear that Mr. Stoppable ate at that location for every meal. By doing that, you have nearly doubled the amount of business that Mr. and Mrs. Ortega have given their business. They feel it deserves compensation."

Kim shook her head in confusion. "What do you mean, compensation?"

Jean Stoppable grinned. "Well, for one thing, it means that with all the business you and Ronnie have given them, they could tear down and rebuild that location every day for a year and still come out ahead. The other thing is that they want to give you two some financial compensation."

Kim got immediate flashes of a repeat of Ron's Naco Royalties disaster. She knew she could handle it, but Ron certainly wasn't that good at money. In fact, the reason the past few months had seemed so strange to her was his complete 180 on how he handled his funding. What would happen if he were to once again get a check for $99 Million?

Gene read the look on his son's girlfriend's face perfectly. "I imagine you're thinking of the first royalties check that Ronald received, am I correct Kimberly?"

Kim nodded, slightly ashamed that she'd been that easy for her boyfriend's father to read. She also hated the slightly hurt look she now saw in her boyfriend's eyes.

Gene smiled. "Don't worry about that. We have set it up so that neither of you has to worry about that."

Mr. Sikes's face showed no trace of emotion. "Affirmative. Both Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable will be receiving a compensation check from the Bueno Nacho Corporation, and your parents have set it so that that money will be going into trust accounts that you will have limited access to until such time as you reach the age of 25 or are married at 21. It should also be noted that both of you are hereby granted full compensation rights at any current or future Bueno Nacho location. This will also apply to anyone that is with you at the time."

Two teen mouths fell open, but for slightly different reasons. Both Kim and Ron were of course shocked at the money. However, whereas Ron was salivating at the idea of free Bueno Nacho any time he wanted, the same concept made Kim just a tad put off. There was no way she was going to let him start taking her to the Tex-Mex place for every meal. While he had grown up some, taking her to places like Chez Couteaux without that stupid coupon book of his, it often put a taxing weight on his other finances. What would he do if they could eat there for free? She looked over at him, and though he stopped salivating, there was a gleam in his eye that she couldn't quite put a reason to.

The lawyer handed each teen a contract. "All that's necessary is for you two to sign these. Your parents have already looked them over to make sure there are no extenuating clauses."

Kim and Ron looked at each other, gave matching smiles and shrugs, and signed. Then Mr. Sikes took the contracts, put them in his briefcase, and snapped it shut. He nodded to all, and started for the door. Once there, he stopped and turned towards James and Gene, who had gotten up to show him out.

"You have your copies of the ones you signed, correct?"

Gene Stoppable and James Possible both nodded, and Sikes left. When the two fathers turned and saw the confused looks on their children's faces, they both smiled.

Gene spoke first. "Before we had you two enter, the four of us signed contracts with him that made sure that the company isn't going to do something like this again. You see, when they gave Ronald that first check, what they were actually doing was buying him off and keeping the rest of the profits they would make on the Naco themselves. This way, no matter how many more of that or of that salad they sell, the two of you will benefit. It also means that they can't simply get around paying you by stopping the production of the items without first showing fair reason for their actions in court."

Kim didn't know what her reaction to this was, but she did have one question. "When he said limited access, what did he mean?"

James smiled at his daughter. "What that means, Kimmie-cub, is that every month until you take control of the account officially, you will start receiving a stipend from it. And if you treat it wisely, which I'm sure you both will after what you learned from Ronald's trouble last time, it could mean that you might possibly never have to work another day in your life. Whatever you said when you suggested to Ned that they put a salad on the menu really hit home, because according to what Mr. Sikes showed us, the only things beating its sales are the Slurpster and Ronald's Naco. Plus, you two do seem to help out that restaurant an awful lot."

Kim felt her mouth drop open for what felt like the hundredth time that night. All she'd done was make a passing conversation suggestion to Ned about having something healthier on the menu. She vaguely remembered suggesting it be a salad, and she thought the name "Hablamos" had come up, but she couldn't be sure. Still, there was the fact that they had been right about them saving the corporation more times than she could count. She was just starting to wonder about that when Ron popped in with another thought that Kim was surprised she hadn't come up with herself.

"So does this mean that we're going to have to make appearances and do stuff for them?"

Jean Stoppable shook her head. "No, we made sure they couldn't do that. They can ask you to appear or do something to promote them, but it's ultimately your choice whether you do or not. They can't force you to do anything or claim a breach of contract if you don't participate."

Kim was flabbergasted. "So when does this all start?"

Her father smiled. "Well, it actually starts tomorrow when the first checks hit your trust accounts. And you'll both get your stipends transferred over as soon as we see it hit. For now, I'm in charge of your account and Ron's father is in charge of his."

Ron was just as surprised as Kim. "But how did you all get this set up so fast?"

His mother grinned. "Mr. Sikes actually called here a few days ago to set up the meeting about you, Ronnie, and when he learned the Possibles were also staying here, he suggested just having one big meeting about the both of you here at the house. So yesterday when I was at the bank, I set up the accounts. Kim's mother came by as well when she was between procedures to sign off on Kim's account, and we were all set to have it while you two were at the interview. But when I gave Mr. Sikes directions, he got lost. So I told him to just meet you two at the news station since it's in the middle of town and easy to find."

The teens looked at each other, unsure of what to say. However, Ron only held the contact for a moment.

"Umm Dad, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

Gene smiled. "Of course, son. We can talk in my office."

As they entered and closed the door, Kim got the oddest feeling she knew what was going on. But she couldn't have said why she felt like that if her life depended on it. A few minutes later they reemerged, and Ron once again had that big, goofy grin on his face.

_What are you up to Ron Stoppable?_

_

* * *

_

a/n

I always appreciate reviews, but I would greatly appreciate if you didn't mention specific plot pieces you see coming down the pipes. If I haven't mentioned it yet, there's a reason for that. I'm also trying to write this for people who may not be as religious about following the show as some of us are, and if I leave something obvious out, it's for a reason.

Still, I always appreciate a review, so keep 'em coming. :)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N

Chapter 10 is up and running!

Xander and June have an encounter with a mysterious figure, and it turns out to be a villain from Team Possible's past with something he's not supposed to have.

Then, with Ron still acting strangely, Kim finds herself with some alone time, time that leads to the answer to a mystery and the discovery of a special treasure.

Meanwhile, Ron's plans are starting to come together, and he couldn't be more nervous.

Monique reveals something special, as well as something she's been working on.

Lars makes his move.

And a long forgotten foe finally makes her move!

No big, right?

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

***Also, if you could rate chapters separately, I would, because this one contains a little bit of language. It's not needless, just adds the extra "oomph" that I felt a scene needed.

* * *

The teens looked at each other, unsure of what to say. However, Ron only held the contact for a moment.

"Umm Dad, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

Gene smiled. "Of course, son. We can talk in my office."

As they entered and closed the door, Kim got the oddest feeling she knew what was going on. But she couldn't have said why she felt like that if her life depended on it. A few minutes later they reemerged, and Ron once again had that big, goofy grin on his face.

_What are you up to, Ron Stoppable?_

_

* * *

_

After leaving the mountain lair that had once belonged to Dr. Drakken before it was destroyed, Xander and June had flown most of the day before stopping for the night in Lisbon, Portugal. Waking early in the morning, they had found an abandoned alley and took off into the sky, setting their sights and trajectory on the Caribbean Islands. At first, they'd flown normal, but as time passed on the long flight, they grew bored, and they started to find ways to amuse themselves.

As they rocketed across the Atlantic in their suits, Xander and June started to do barrel rolls around each other. It started out as just innocent fun. Xander had done one underneath June so that he skimmed the surface of the water just enough to send a spray up into her path. She of course easily avoided it with her high agility, and then tried to do the same thing to him. He merely put up a plasma shield and smiled at her through the aqua-blue glow. So she had changed tactics, rolling around and above before bumping him a few times so that his own shield caused a spray to get him. Sputtering, he had fired a small blast at the water, sending up a wide spray that she couldn't avoid.

It happened when he looked back at her with a huge grin on his face. When he'd first seen it shortly after they left Lisbon, Xander had thought it was just some plane in the distance, but now he realized that the speck hadn't disappeared, nor had it grown larger or smaller. It seemed to be keeping exact pace with them. He quickly zoomed up beside June.

"Get serious Jules. We've got a tail. Been with us since we left the Portuguese coastline."

June glanced back just enough that she could look without making it look like she had seen. "It's got to be him. Mom's told me before that he managed to swipe her first suit from the safety pod while Grandpa and Grandma Possible's house was in shambles."

Xander got a smug grin. "I'll bet he thinks he's following your parents."

June shook her head. "Don't get any ideas, X. We haven't got time to play around. If your right, then this is the day of the interview, which means it's also the day your mom asked my parents for help. We have to find Lars quickly, and the only way we're going to do that in time is to completely ignore this guy."

Xander nodded. "I'm not talking about stopping and fighting with him, Jules. I'm just talking about throwing him off track, confusing him a little. He's not even supposed to be here right now, remember? He's supposed to be heading for Middleton."

She thought for a moment. "Well, I guess we do have to do something. If your dad's rival shows up on your parents' doorstep, things could get messy. What do you have in mind?"

Her companion got a smile on his face very reminiscent of his mother. "I think it's time we messed with the nutcase's head a little bit." With that, he pointed back and aimed a plasma blast spread from the five fingers on his right hand.

…………………………………………………

Approximately a mile behind them, the person following them was becoming more and more confused. According to all data he had, before he'd made the modifications to the fraulein's super suit, it had possessed no flight abilities. It could hover, but only for short distances, and that was meant to assist with her jumping abilities. He supposed it was possible that their little techno-boy had also managed to make an upgrade to the suits, but why would he not have simply added the modification to the current suit as he had done with the stealth capability. He wished he had realized that improvement was there before he started modifying the suit. If he had, he wouldn't have committed so much power to the weapons and jet boots he had added, or maybe he would have held off on upgrading the shields. Ahh, but then he would not be the invincible one man army he had turned himself into.

The villain was so lost in his thoughts he almost didn't see the five plasma blasts coming at him. They looked strangely similar to the blasts that his fellow villainess Shego was capable of, except that they were blue-green in color instead of the emerald green the woman was capable of. Three of the blasts missed him completely, but two of them came very close to hitting home. If he had been a second slower in raising his shields, he would have taken shots in the leg and the shoulder. As it was, the blasts caused a lot of smoke when they impacted, meaning that he had to stop since he had changed the shields to only go where he needed them instead of being a bubble. It also caused him to fall slightly.

When he had recovered, the two teens were nowhere to be seen. He growled in frustration, and turned back towards his Austrian homeland. While he had managed to completely deflect the blast at his shoulder, the one at his legs had only been glanced away, instead frying some of the circuitry in his left boot. Before he resumed his attack on them he would need to make repairs.

…………………………………………………

As they watched him go, Xander and June had to laugh. As soon as Xander had fired, they had created shield bubbles and dove beneath the surface of the water in their makeshift capsules, intending to hide until the villain flew past them. They certainly hadn't expected any of the young man's random shots to make contact with their target. As they resurfaced and watched him leave, Xander turned to June.

"I think you'd better call Wade and tell him who has your mom's battle suit." Then he laughed, adding, "Though I don't think she'll ever want to wear it again."

* * *

Kim awoke the next morning at 7:30 AM still full of questions. The night before was still rolling around in her mind. She was hoping that she'd get to have a long talk with Ron, but looking at the calendar she'd hung she realized that wouldn't be possible today. It was Thursday, meaning she had double duty to pull at Club Banana with both an 11:00 daytime and a 4:30 evening shift to make up for asking off for the interview the night before. Not to mention her meal break between the two was most likely going to be taken up for the most part by her interview with _Chic_ magazine. They had interviewed her before because of her mission work, but now they wanted her take on Ron being the one to save the world from the Lorwardians. Without even realizing it, Kim was quickly growing tired of how big a deal people were making about the whole incident. She desperately wanted some quality Ronshine, and the next few days weren't looking too promising. Well, she had better get it while she could

She found him at the breakfast table, again already fully dressed and ready. It was odd to her because she knew he didn't have to work today, and he hadn't told her of any plans. Still, there he was, looking as if he had all the plans in the world. That goofy grin was still plastered across his face. Whatever he was planning, the events of last night had obviously helped.

"Morning, Ronnie. Something going on today?" she said with a smile.

Ron shook his head. "Not really. Just going to meet up with Felix and hang out. He's leaving right after your birthday and going to be gone the next few weeks for final college interviews."

Kim nodded as she poured herself a bowl of cornflakes. "Up awfully early for just that, aren't you?"

"Nah. He's wanting to head up to Upperton for a bit, so we're actually heading out in a few minutes."

Kim blinked and paused with the first bite of her breakfast halfway to her mouth. "Wait, how are you getting there?"

Ron grinned. "Felix's parents gave him a van designed especially for handicapped drivers for graduation, so we're going in that. Plus, Zita's working at the movie theater, so we couldn't take her car anyway."

Kim smiled. Felix Renton and Zita Flores were a perfect match, and it showed. On Everlot, there avatars were rarely seen one without the other, and they had attended every single social event that had happened since the Junior Prom as a couple. It had also been rare to see them not eating lunch together in the cafeteria back at Middleton. But the biggest mark that they were in it to last dealt with Zita's car. Shortly after they had started dating, the girl had modified the passenger side seat so that it turned out, making it easier for Felix to enter the vehicle. There had also been a rumor flying around shortly before graduation that Felix had already given the Hispanic beauty a promise ring, though if he had she hadn't worn it at school. However, considering some of the stuff that went on at Middleton, Kim wasn't surprised.

Though she'd never experienced it herself, Kim had several friends who had had various jewelry items stolen. The most notable had been during their sophomore year, when Marcella had worn a brilliant necklace with a large ruby in it that had disappeared during cheer practice. It was only pure dumb luck that Ron had come crashing through the door right at the moment the thief tried to leave, late to cheer practice as usual, and had ended up a mass of tangled arms and legs. That student had been expelled soon afterwards, but it hadn't stopped other occurrences. Some students had only had watches stolen, while others had wallets picked off of them in the halls.

Kim came out of her thoughts with a sudden realization. She had scheduled their "Girls Spa Day" the day after her birthday. She knew Monique wouldn't say anything, but it still hit her how absentminded she'd been about it. She just hoped Zita, Tara, and Marcella wouldn't say anything about it. Zita and Tara wouldn't, but Marcella might think something was up. Kim liked the dark-haired girl, but sometimes Marcella acted a bit too much like Bonnie, though she never took it as far as the snarky brunette. Plus, unlike Bonnie, Marcella had managed to make friends with Monique, which was the main reason Kim had invited her.

At that moment, a car horn sounded, and Ron got up and put away his dishes in the dishwasher. Kim had to suppress a laugh. Ron might be something of slob with most places, but in the kitchen and dining room he kept things sparkling clean. She was determined that if…no, _when_ they got a place together, she was going to make sure that his cleaning habits spilled out of the kitchen and into the rest of the house. She might love Ron with everything she had, but there was no way Kim was going to live in a dirty house. She was visualizing how that would happen when train of thought was quickly derailed by the sound of a car horn outside.

Ron gave her a kiss. "Catch ya' later, KP. Love you."

"Love you too, Ronnie," she called as he headed out the door.

Kim smiled and waved as she watched through the window while her boyfriend climbed into his friend's van. It reminded her a little of the van the main character from that _Rock U._ movie had owned. Thankfully, she knew Felix to be a much better driver than that guy. As she watched them go, she couldn't shake the feeling that something more was going on, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. Returning to her breakfast, she finally noticed what was off that morning—no one else seemed to be home.

She poked around a bit and discovered she was right. Kim sat down and went through a mental checklist just to be sure. Her brothers would be at school, since juniors, sophomores, and freshmen still had today and tomorrow left on their schedules. Her mother had said she had a full day with three procedures before lunch and two afterwards. Her own father was working on some new project down at the Middleton Space Center, as well as helping with the clean-up. Ron's mother was working at the bank. And judging that both Hana and her stroller were gone, Gene Stoppable was probably using the gorgeous day to work outside and take Hana to the park. That meant that Kim had nearly three hours to kill all by herself.

One of those hours was put away getting cleaned up and dressed. It normally wouldn't have taken her so long, but she decided that if she had time alone to kill, she was going to make the most of it, especially since she missed the tranquility she'd been afforded all those years by having her own personal bathroom. She also enjoyed not having to take her clothes into the bathroom, instead allowing the towel wrapped around her body do most of the drying for her. However, less than ten minutes after she was fully ready, her good mood had quickly deteriorated. She debated going over to Middleton Park and offering to watch Hana for a little while so Ron's dad could get some work done in peace, but that didn't really appeal to her. She loved the little girl like a sister, but the thought of working a double shift at Club Banana after chasing a super ninja baby all morning was exhausting just to think about.

Kim also tried to get into her book, but didn't realize she was so close to the end. By the time she finished it, it was still only 8:45. She tried calling Monique, but quickly shut her cell phone before it could ring when she realized that her BFF was probably already at the store fulfilling her role as assistant manager by doing the morning inventory. Tara was still out of town on a senior trip, Zita was working at the movie theater, and Marcella was out of town visiting her dad in New York. There was no one to call for a shopping trip or a smoothie run. As she thought about her predicament, Kim felt herself sinking deeper into a grump, one that seemed to be unfairly directed at a certain someone with blonde-hair, brown eyes, and big ears.

Only one other time in her life had Kim been so lost on what to do, and that had been the night that Ron had cancelled their typical Friday night plans to train with Felix for a Zombie Mayhem video game jamboree. It occurred to her that, ironically, plans with Felix were once again keeping her and Ron from spending time together. At least today she only had a couple hours to she needed to kill as opposed to an entire Friday night. She halfway debated going for a run/workout, but that would mean needing to get cleaned up again. Deciding she had to do something, she got in her car and started driving, though she had no idea what her destination would be. She finally arrived at the last place she'd expected to go when she had left the Stoppable house.

Climbing out and shutting her door, she leaned on the hood as she stared at what was before her. Nearly eighteen years she'd spent in that house, and now it was little more than rubble. Before she could stop herself, she was once again sifting through the debris, looking for what she didn't know. It wasn't long before she came to what she suspected were the remains of her room, though it was hard to tell because it was combined with the rooms that had been below it. As she moved cinderblocks and the remains of furniture, she came across the safety pod her battle suit had once been housed in. It was obvious it had been forced open, though so far they didn't have any leads. Kim was about to turn away when something caught her eye. There, stuck at the edge of the hole, was a piece of fabric, fluttering in the breeze. She almost passed it off as nothing until she realized she hadn't ever owned anything in particular shade of red. Suddenly, she realized who did have clothes that color—a certain mad scientist who had coveted the suit since he had first laid eyes on it.

Her hand flew to her wrist Kimmunicator and pressed the activation button. When it came on, she noticed that Wade had his hand over the button she knew called her and Ron.

"Wade, I know who has the battle suit. It's Professor Dementor."

Wade looked startled. "How did you know? Xander and June just had an encounter with him not too long ago, and they told me about it less than two minutes ago. I was actually just about to call you and let you know."

Kim held the red fabric in front of the view screen. "This. It was stuck in the pod. I'm guessing that Ron and I always missed it because we always came over here later in the day. I wouldn't have even seen it now if it hadn't been for the wind catching it and making it flutter."

Wade nodded. "Unfortunately, Kim, Xander and June didn't have time to follow him back to his latest lair. They're still trying to put a stop to Future Lars before you get turned evil. So we have no way of knowing where he is."

Kim was seething, but did her best not to take it out on her friend. "Okay, Wade. Just let me know the minute he pops up on anything. We've got to get that suit back before he does something with it."

"Will do, Kim."

As the Kimmunicator blinked back to the TP logo, Kim felt the sudden urge to hit or kick something. And since the mattress from her bed was there, it took the full force of her outburst. Five minutes later the bed had a noticeable dent, and Kim was finally calmed back down. Again, she began sifting through the debris, randomly looking for anything. She was just about to stop when she saw something she'd thought destroyed, especially considering it had rained multiple times since the house had been destroyed. The shoebox was wedged into a space between several cinderblocks and pieces of wood, and somehow that makeshift compartment had protected it from the elements. True, it was slightly squashed, but the words she'd written on it were still clear as day: _Kim & Ron_. Slowly, as if it might be a something deadly like a bomb as opposed to the treasure chest it was, she pulled off the top.

Inside were several things about her and Ron that she had kept for one reason or another. There was the badly drawn and colored picture of them he'd given her at the end of Pre-K, which made her laugh even now because he'd put a halo over her head because his five-year-old mind had seen her as an angel even then. Next to that was a used packet of Diablo sauce from the day she'd given him a ride to the Bueno Nacho opening, and she smiled as she remembered she'd given him that ride because he didn't believe riding a tricycle to a restaurant opening was right. A lanyard from his summer at Lake Wannaweep, one of thousands he'd made but the only purple and red one, was entwined with a simple necklace he'd given her shortly after she got her braces to cheer her up. There was also a ticket stub from the talent show their sophomore year. And last, but certainly not least, there was a ticket to Middleton Days, specifically the one that had taken place their junior year at Middleton.

That last item would probably confuse anyone, including Ron if he ever saw it. True, that was the first time Kim had said there were fireworks between her and Ron, but that wasn't why she had kept it. On a separate mission for Cyrus Bortal that had occurred shortly after that, Kim had been forced to go solo for a reason she couldn't remember. While on that mission, she had asked the scientist about his Moodulators, and he had explained that the devices could not enhance any emotion that was not already there in some form. Armed with that information, Kim had been tempted to ask Ron if he wanted to go on a real date. However, the awkwardness that had occurred between them when talking about Ron's cousin's wedding and him taking her as his "date" had shut her mind to the idea.

Looking back now, she couldn't help but laugh a little. They had talked a lot about their new relationship the first summer they were together, and one of the first topics to come up was what would have happened if they had gotten together earlier. Even though most people had assumed they were together, it had always seemed an awk-weird idea prior to the Junior Prom. In truth, if they had really looked at it, they had both came to the conclusion that based on where they both were at the point that the Moodulator got stuck on her neck, it probably would have led to heartbreak for both of them. What Kim had wanted in a boyfriend at that time was practically everything she thought Ron wasn't, and he had always given off the impression that she was too Type-A for him. True, there were fireworks between them, but at that time they were still mostly looking at each other as Kim and Ron, not as a girl and a boy. Thinking back, Kim couldn't even place when she first started seeing Ron as a guy, and thus a potential mate. Maybe it had all started that night when he finally told her how he felt.

As she dusted herself off and picked up the box to carry it back to the car, she smiled. Ron had hid his feelings to keep her from getting hurt then, and who was to say he wasn't doing the same thing now? Though she couldn't for the life of her figure out what he could be holding back that would hurt her, Kim found herself once again fully confident that Ron would tell her what he was thinking when he was ready. Armed with that knowledge, she turned the car towards the Stoppable house with a confident smile on her face. However, she just happened to glance down, and the smile quickly disappeared. According to the clock, she had less than ten minutes for a fifteen minute dash to the mall for her first shift at Club Banana! She quickly slammed the pedal, grateful the Tweebs had put skid-proof tires on the Sloth as it sped forward.

As Kim peeled away, a pair of dark brown, almost black eyes watched her. Even though it had been somewhat of a surprise to find the Possible house in shambles, the woman had a hunch that one or both of the teens would drop by. It had been worth it to grab the overnight flight to Middleton from the east coast, even if it did sap up a good chunk of the money she'd had stored away for this. She smiled a wicked, twisted smile that had once made her so popular. Kim Possible had exposed her fears before, but four years was a long time. Now she truly was what she had once only claimed to be. And that was all the edge she needed. As she stepped out of the shadows of the trees behind the remains of what had once been the Possibles back yard, she removed her black hood, letting her short blonde hair free.

_What? What? What will I do next? I'm going to crush Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable._

Dashing to her hidden motorcycle, she raced after the purple car. Adrena Lynn was back, and she was going to push Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable to their limits!

* * *

Ron glanced nervously at the cases before him. He hated lying to Kim about what he was doing today, but it was a necessary sacrifice if his plans were going to work. To tell the truth, it wasn't even today that had him worried: it was tomorrow. He didn't have double duty at Smarty Mart, though he did have a single shift during the day. What he'd lied about was covering someone else's shift, because he'd already done that the day before the interview. No, what he had going tomorrow night was much more important. Tomorrow night could mean the difference between fantasy and reality when it came to him and Kim and their future together. The only consolation was that he had much more backing him up now than he'd had a few days ago.

Felix wheeled up to him. "Ron man, you okay?"

Ron smiled at his friend. "Yeah, Felix, I am. Just really nervous. I mean, what if Kim…"

Felix cut him off. "Don't even think about that. I'm sure it's going to go just how you picture it. Well, maybe not exactly how you picture it, considering your track record when it comes to stuff like this, but I'm sure the important parts are going to go right. Besides, you're showing a lot of guts even coming here. I'm sure not ready."

Ron looked at him in surprise. "Dude, you and Zita are so tight I'm surprised you don't fly off to Mount Middleton every weekend. I mean, she even changed her car for you."

Felix smiled. "Well, who says we haven't?" At the look on Ron's face, he added, "Just kidding you, man. Look anyone who sees you two knows how tight you are. And the fact that you're doing it this way just proves that even more."

At that moment, the owner of the store came out carrying a notepad. "Sir, is this what you were picturing?"

Ron looked at the illustration. "Booyeah! That is perfect! When can it be ready?"

The man thought for a moment and then smiled. "Sir, with what you designed and what you're paying, I can have it ready tomorrow afternoon if you wish. Particularly if this is for who I think it's for. You two saved my business and my life that day you stopped those thieves. As a matter of fact, I'm going to wave the rush fee."

Ron's smile was brilliant. "Thanks man. And tomorrow would be perfect. That means I can show it to an important someone first."

* * *

"Girl, I have never known you to be even a minute late, and you came in five minutes late today. What's the deal?"

Kim smiled. "Ron," was all she said.

Monique shook her head. "Girl, that boy has got to understand you've got to be at work on time. Besides, since when do you let him dictate your time schedule? That ain't the girl I know."

Kim shook her head. "Not what I meant. Will that be cash or charge?" she asked the woman on the other side of the counter.

"Charge, dearie," said the elderly woman, who Kim and Monique could only hope was in there buying something for some young relative of hers. Club Banana had always catered to the 13-29 crowd, and this woman looked way past that.

"Okay, so spill. TME."

Kim smiled again. "I went by my house and was looking through the remains when I found a box that contains a lot of stuff Ron gave me. I got lost in thinking about him, and about us, and the time just slipped. That's all."

Monique shook her head. "Mm, mm, mm. Girl, if you were any more hooked on him, you'd be part of him. I'm kind of surprised all you've done is make-out with him."

Kim looked shocked. "Monique! We may be set on each other, but there is no way we're ready for that. Besides, we're taking this one day at a time, just like we told Heather Tyler."

Monique got a strange, faraway look in her eyes. "Yeah, you four did look good on TV."

Kim made a sideways glance at her friend as she picked up some folded clothes to put on the shelves and racks. "Don't tell me he built another one?" she joked.

Monique seemed to snap out of it quickly. "What? No way. It's just, he doesn't seem as young as he used to be."

Kim continued putting away the folded clothes. "Just be careful, Monique. Don't forget you're considered an adult while Wade's still a minor, and he will be for at least five more years."

"Girl, that's crazy. I am an independent woman, and besides, I need to get my fashion line started before I even think about settling down. Speaking of which, when are you two going to let me get started on designing something new for Ron?"

Kim giggled as she remembered their discovery about Ron's shirts being too small. They had gone by Smarty Mart after Mr. Sikes had left, and Ron had found to his dismay that the same thing that had happened to Kim's original mission wear had now happened to his. Even Smarty Mart had stopped carrying the discontinued look.

"Actually, you could start right now. Ron's facing the same crisis I did when Coco Banana decided to stop carrying my signature look in his stores. I'm just grateful we haven't had any missions yet to test Ron's theory again."

"Yes," Monique let out with an excited fist pump. "Girl, I've been waiting for this. I mean, the Fashionistas got to design your new look, so I missed my chance there. Which by the way I'm still a little tweaked at you for but it's RNBD, now.

"RNBD?" Kim said as she paused in the middle of stacking folded pink capris.

"Really No Big Deal. Man, girl, I thought you had my acronyms down now."

Kim shrugged. "I guess since we don't see each other every day I've lost some of them."

"Anyways, it's no problem because I get a second chance at it. And I've actually had something cooking up for that boy ever since Rufus first brought me the design for your new look."

Kim laughed. "Just don't make it purple. Ron likes it on me, but has said he'll stay home before we wear matching outfits again. Even though I don't think he'd actually do it, it still doesn't seem like a good idea."

Monique smiled. "Actually, what I've got in mind seems to fit him perfectly from what you've told me. Just as long as I get the right shade so he doesn't look like one of your more frequent villains."

* * *

Ever since their encounter with Dementor, Xander and June would occasionally look back. The ease with which he had tracked them had them both worried. However, June was looking back much more than Xander.

"Jules, quit worrying," he said after she looked back so long she almost hit the water of the Atlantic. "He's not back there."

Julie Anne Stoppable was nothing if not cautious. A lifetime being raised with world heroes for parents had instilled that in her so deep it might as well be a genetic trait. As such, she wasn't about to take any chances, her boyfriend's lackadaisical attitude about it notwithstanding.

"X, we don't know for a fact that he headed back towards Austria. I know that's what we told this time period's Wade, but we could have been wrong. I mean, Dementor's not stupid. He could have simply activated the stealth mode on the Mk. I and kept following us."

Xander sighed. "Jules, we both know that at least one and maybe two of my blasts hit him. Plus, according to what the C.C. factored, he headed back to his lair to make repairs."

June glared at him. "I think this trip has proven just how off the mark those things can be. We didn't need the visual disc to let Mom and Dad know what was going on, and according to our Wade it was the only way to tell them without drastically altering the timeline. Also, we slipped and told them about Ronnie, something our Wade specifically warned us not to do, so now we might have changed that as well. But the Chaos Calculators aren't picking up anything that's changed."

Xander thought for a moment. "I guess you're right, but I do have a theory about why mentioning Ronnie didn't cause a change. We never mentioned whether Ronnie was a boy or girl."

June smiled a little. "That could be it, but to be honest this sitch is getting more ferociously convoluted by the second. I mean, suppose we do stop Lars before he turns Mom evil, even though the original plan was to let him succeed. Wouldn't that mess things up even more? OR, is it possible that's the way we're supposed to do it?"

Xander shook his head. "I don't know. I guess it could be like that _Forward to the Past_ movie, where things are being changed to be better than they were. But we won't know that until we go back to our own time."

June nodded. "So let's do this. C'mon, we still have a full half day before we even see the Caribbean Islands."

With that, they both clicked their knees together, causing their speed to increase dramatically, as well as causing a spray of water to start shooting up behind them.

* * *

A shadowy figure watched all the red-suited henchmen milling about their work, looking for one in particular. Though they all looked the same, each had his own distinct difference in the design of his suit. Drakken had given all of henchmen specific extras they could use to adapt their suits to their personal tastes or job requirements, with higher ups having more options. The one he was looking for was one of these higher ups. Absentmindedly, he rubbed the back of his head, as if rubbing a phantom bump or bruise. It was a habit he couldn't seem to stop no matter how hard he tried, though he had no idea where it came from. All that was back there was his scar, an old wound he had gotten back before he'd signed on as a freelancer with Hench Co.

It was then that he saw the specific man he was looking for. Pulling a notepad out of his pocket, he went over the schedule he'd written down. If this order of events was correct, the henchman would soon take his lunch break, meaning he would take it alone and away from others. That would be the time to strike. The figure only hoped his timing was as good as he needed it to be, as he might not get another shot at this. But if he didn't do it now, he wouldn't get another shot. He had to act before the device was ordered so that he could make sure he was the one who handled it, which would make sure he was given the opportunity to tamper with it. If all went according to plan, his future would be great indeed.

Silently, he slipped into the room he knew the man would soon enter and waited. When the henchman entered, he brought a metal pipe he'd found in the room down hard on the back of the man's head. As the man fell, he again reached back to rub the phantom bruise. Looking at where the pipe had connected, he now understood. There was a bruise forming in a perfect X with a very familiar head scar. Quickly, he picked up the prostrate henchman, stripped him of his uniform, and tossed him into a storage room he knew was rarely used if ever. He also tossed in several nutritional bars and some bottles of water so that the man would not die of starvation since he needed him to be there for a week at least and it would not do for him to expire. As he shut the door on his present-day counterpart, Lars of the future smiled evilly.

"Sorry about this buddy, but your future's at stake. And I can't take any chances on you messing it up."

Quickly, he suited up and ate the lunch that had been dropped. Then he rejoined his fellow henchmen, an evil smirk becoming seemingly stuck as he did so.

* * *

Kim Possible felt drained. She'd never realized a double-shift could take so much out of you. She thanked the heavens that she'd thought to schedule her interview with _Chic_ magazine between the two rather than after, because right now she felt wiped out, and she still had another forty-five minutes left before the mall closed at 10:00, plus the thirty minutes it would take to lock up. Monique had left at 9:00 after giving Kim the keys, so she didn't even have her friend to keep her company and talk to keep her alert. Since she'd been trained in shutting down the store and had been approved by the general manager, her BFF had asked if she wouldn't mind closing that night. Kim had of course agreed, especially since Monique had been there since 7:30 that morning. But now she was wondering if it was such a good idea, because she was dead on her feet.

Kim had grabbed an energy smoothie as soon as the interview was over, but it was down to maybe a few swallows now. She found herself wondering if Ron would be willing to catch a ride over and then drive them both home, because she was certainly not looking forward to the drive. She wasn't even sure she would alert enough to drive. How was it that she always felt perfectly refreshed after missions that would drain most people, but after a double shift felt like she was about to fall over? Hell, she'd even go solo while babysitting the Carter quadruplets over this right now, even though all four of those kids were barely five and complete hellions.

Making up her mind, she pulled back the sleeve of her crème-colored shirt and pressed the 2 button on her Kimmunicator, calling Ron's Kimmunicator. It took a minute, but he picked up. From the looks of it, he hadn't been wearing it on his wrist, meaning he was at home.

"What up, KP?"

"Hey, Ronnie. Would you mind coming up here? I'm so beat I don't think it's safe for me to be driving."

Ron smiled. "Sure thing, KP. I'll have one of our parents drop me off. Want me to meet you at the car?"

Kim shook her head. "No, go ahead and come in if they're going to give you a ride. Monique has said before its okay if you're in here when we're closing."

Ron nodded. "Sure thing, KP. Be there in a few."

With that, the screen blinked back to the TP logo. Kim did a quick calculation. If Ron was at home that meant approximately fifteen minutes before he arrived at the mall, and another two to five minutes before he arrived in the store, depending on whether or not he came straight to Club Banana or window shopped as he walked. That meant at least twenty more minutes before she could touch his smiling face. And with the way she felt, his was the only face she wanted to see right now, and soon she would.

However, thirty minutes came and went, and Ron still had not shown up. That worried her, because the mall itself would soon close in less than fifteen minutes. Normally, he might be late by a few minutes, but certain not a full ten, particularly when it came to telling her he'd be there. Something wasn't right about this sitch, and it was like a splinter in Kim's mind, growing larger by the second. Five minutes to mall close came, and still there was no sign of her boyfriend. Just to make sure, she kept poking her head out of the store and glancing around the mall. There were very few people, and none had hair the color of the sun.

_Ron Stoppable, you had better be hurt or kidnapped_, she thought with an angry glance at the door.

Ten minutes later, her anger was slowly being replaced by genuine worry. The mall had closed, she'd shut the metal drapes, and still there was no sign of Ron. He wasn't even answering his Kimmunicator, even when Kim got Wade to try him. What worried her more was that Ron now had some manner of control over his Mystical Monkey Power, and even if there was a sitch to be handled he should have little to no problem with it. Her panic caused Kim to rush through the remainder of closing, trying to quickly get out to her car to see if he was there waiting for her. If he was he was probably going to get a slap across the face for making her worry, but that would be extremely tame and mild compared to the scenarios that were running through her mind. Finally, at 10:25, five minutes ahead of schedule, she finished and clocked out before clicking off the lights. She practically raced to the lot where the Sloth sat waiting, hoping that in a few minutes she'd here a familiar voice.

What she saw, however, caused her heart to catch in her throat. Ron wasn't there, but a very familiar hockey jersey was tied to the radio antenna along with a note that was taped to the front window. Reaching for the note, Kim took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she opened the note.

_Kim,_

_ I know this must be hard for you to believe, but your boyfriend went without much of a fight. Of course, from what I've heard, I expected better, but beggars can't be choosers, now can they? Maybe it was the shock of seeing me, or of seeing what I'm now capable of. You ruined my life, and now I'm going to ruin yours, starting with removing the one who first put us against each other. Hope you're ready, cause this time you're going to have to pull out all the stops to even have a hope of keeping pace with me. I hope you remember where we first met, cause that's where you'll find you precious boy toy. Catch ya' later!!_

_ A.L._

_ P.S. Hope you're ready to get FR-EAKY!!_

Kim stood there shaking, the piece of paper straining as it shook right along with her. Before long it gave out under the strain and was ripped in two. Rage was bubbling up inside of her, a feeling she'd only felt a few times in her life. All of her calming techniques refused to work, and the feeling could no longer be contained. Throwing back her head, she let loose with a scream of complete rage that sounded all throughout the empty parking lot of the Middleton Mall. Only then was she able to calm her breathing enough to think. Forcing her face into a determined expression, she pressed the main call button on her wrist Kimmunicator.

It took only a second, but that second seemed like an eternity. Before long, Wade's face appeared on the screen.

"Wade, I need a position on Ron's locator chip, and I need it three days ago."

"On it, Kim. What's up?"

"Adrena Lynn's back, and she's got Ron."

Wade blinked in surprise. "Adrena Lynn? That fake action star you proved was really a coward?"

Kim nodded. "She said she's got Ron back where we first met her, which I'm betting is…"

"The abandoned amusement park," finished Wade. He pressed a few buttons, but the concerned look on his face didn't fade. "Uh, Kim, I'm not showing him there, or anywhere in the state of Colorado."

Kim thought hard for a minute. "Wait a minute; she said where we first met her. Isn't that where we met for the first time?"

Wade pulled up the files. "According to my records of that mission, the first place you tangled with her, even though you didn't fight, was in New York City."

Kim snapped her fingers. "Where I caught the fake bungee jump dummy and Ron took the picture proving she was a fake!"

Wade nodded. "I'm showing him in route. Want me to set up a ride?"

Kim smiled, though it was tinged with anger. "Please and thank you. And make it the fastest ride we've got in the database."

As the screen flipped off, Kim felt herself starting to seethe again. All thoughts of being drained were gone, replaced only by the rage she felt. She quickly untied Ron's jersey from the antenna and jumped in her car, jamming the shift into drive and stomping the accelerator. When she arrived at the Stoppable house, she quickly explained to her parents and Ron's what was going on, and told them she was going to rescue Ron. She then raced into her room, threw on her mission wear, and was out in the living room before anyone could say a word.

James Possible put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Kimmie-cub, you're in no shape to go after him."

Anne Possible agreed. "Kimmie, you're so angry right now you're shaking. You need to calm down."

The glare she gave them in response surprised them both. Neither of Kim's parents had ever seen her so ticked off, not even when she told them about Eric actually being a Synthodrone created by Dr. Drakken as a means to play with her emotions.

When she spoke, there was an icy fury to her voice that they'd never heard before. "Mom, Dad, I appreciate it, but this is my boyfriend, the guy I love more than anything in the world! There is no way I am going to let that bitch take that away from me, and no way in hell I am going to pass off this mission to someone else!"

Anne Possible was about to say something, but James put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Kim had put her mind to something, and there wasn't a thing that either of them could do about it. The only one who could possibly get their daughter to calm down was the whole reason she was in the state she was in, and James Possible knew it. As she headed out the door to the waiting Global Justice hover jet, they turned to Ron's parents, who were still in the same positions they'd been in when Kim entered the house five minutes ago. James walked over to Gene while Anne sat next to Jean. Four sets of eyes stared out the still open door, all hoping for the safe return of their children. James and Gene walked over to the door together and watched as the hover jet streaked off through the night in the direction of New York City, one hoping for the safe return of his son, the other hoping that the state his daughter was in didn't drive her to do something she would regret. But there was one thought in both of their minds, one they had never expected.

Adrena Lynn had succeeded at doing the one thing every other villain had always tried to avoid—tick off Kim Possible!

* * *

a/n

As always, I appreciate any and all reviews. They let me know you guys are still enjoying the story. :)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N

Chapter 11 is up and running!

Adrena Lynn has taken Ron, and Kim's determined to get him back! But this a different Adrena Lynn than Kim faced four years ago, and what she has to do to win could have some far-reaching effects!

Then, the Stoppables and Possibles are forced to come to some conclusions about their children.

While Kim recovers, Ron moves forward with whatever he's planning, and it still has Kim wondering what he's up to.

Finally, a heart to heart talk between Anne and Kim helps Kim put things in perspective.

Lots of action, and a little fluff.

And now for the necessary stuff (hey, that rhymed):

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

James Possible put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Kimmie-cub, you're in no shape to go after him."

Anne Possible agreed. "Kimmie, you're so angry right now you're shaking. You need to calm down."

The glare she gave them in response surprised them both. Neither of Kim's parents had ever seen her so ticked off, not even when she told them about Eric actually being a Synthodrone created by Dr. Drakken as a means to play with her emotions.

When she spoke, there was an icy fury to her voice that they'd never heard before. "Mom, Dad, I appreciate it, but this is my boyfriend, the guy I love more than anything in the world! There is no way I am going to let that bitch take that away from me, and no way in hell I am going to pass off this mission to someone else!"

Anne Possible was about to say something, but James put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Kim had put her mind to something, and there wasn't a thing that either of them could do about it. The only one who could possibly get their daughter to calm down was the whole reason she was in the state she was in, and James Possible knew it. As she headed out the door to the waiting Global Justice hover jet, they turned to Ron's parents, who were still in the same positions they'd been in when Kim entered the house five minutes ago. James walked over to Gene while Anne sat next to Jean. Four sets of eyes stared out the still open door, all hoping for the safe return of their children. James and Gene walked over to the door together and watched as the hover jet streaked off through the night in the direction of New York City, one hoping for the safe return of his son, the other hoping that the state his daughter was in didn't drive her to do something she would regret. But there was one thought in both of their minds, one they had never expected.

Adrena Lynn had succeeded at doing the one thing every other villain had always tried to avoid—tick off Kim Possible!

* * *

Ron Stoppable had no idea where he was. All he knew was that his head felt like it had gone ten rounds with Kim on her worst PMS day. That and he couldn't see a single thing beyond the black blindfold that was over his eyes. Even his hearing seemed muffled. The only thing he was aware of was that he was tied tighter than he'd ever been tied before, to the point that he was sure another inch would have cut off some major circulation. And it wasn't just his hands and feet that were tied. No, he was all wrapped up in very strong rope from shoulders to ankles. It reminded him slightly of the way the Amazing Arachnid Guy tied up crooks. He started to laugh at that, but the ropes were so tight that laughter hurt. Taking as deep a breath as his confinement allowed, he tried to focus on what he knew.

Kim had called him on his Kimmunicator and asked if he would mind coming up to the mall so that he could drive her and the Sloth home because she felt so tired she thought it might be dangerous for her to do it. He'd consented happily, and had asked his dad to give him a ride. His father had readily agreed, and had dropped him off by the front door. Ron had seen the Sloth sitting in the parking lot, and had thought he noticed something funny. Approaching the vehicle, he'd spotted a note taped to the window, and had been reaching for it when he saw a reflection in the window approaching him from behind. He'd spun around, recognizing the face, and had been about summon his Mystical Monkey Power when she caught him first in the stomach with a vicious punch and then on the chin with a powerful kick, sending him sprawling up and over the Sloth's hood. He'd landed hard on the concrete on the other side of the vehicle, dazed, and his attacker had performed a twisting somersault that ended with one fist buried in his stomach and the other palm slamming his head into the ground. The last thing he'd seen before passing out was Adrena Lynn looking down at him, an insane looking smirk on her face.

_Adrena Lynn!_

Ron couldn't believe that was who had gotten the drop on him. The last time he and Kim had faced the "extreme teen," they had revealed her to be a fake and all her stunts to be scams. Not to mention that Kim had proved the one-time action star to be the biggest of cowards when it came to actual danger and stunts when she took the blonde on the jet pack ride of her life. However, something about this encounter told Ron this wasn't the same Adrena Lynn who had curled up in a ball as soon as Kim had landed. This Adrena Lynn had somehow picked up fantastic martial arts training, and that flip had been no slouch. Picturing it in his mind, he realized a move like that would probably have frightened the old Adrena Lynn half to death. And then there was that insane look she'd given him just before he passed out. It wasn't the look of someone normal; it was the look of someone who had gone completely off the deep end!

Ron tested his bonds again, and again found them unyielding. Changing tactics, he tried to summon the Mystical Monkey Power, but found that for some reason it didn't work. So he tried again. Again he got absolutely no response, not even the sound of monkeys in his head. All it did was make his already splitting headache much worse. Determination set in, and he tried a third time, and fourth. Still he got nothing. By now, his headache was reaching completely epic proportions, and not just from the apparent failure of his abilities. No, what was really making the pressure build was the frustration that was seeping into him from all directions.

_Aww, man! Why is this happening now of all times?_

* * *

Will Du was very nervous, and very glad he was the one driving the Global Justice hover jet and not the one briefing Kim Possible on the drop procedure. He had seen her angry only a few times, but this was far beyond any of that. The girl was literally radiating her controlled fury! His co-pilot had even said that he thought he could see the waves of hatred flowing off the teen hero's body, as if her rage was becoming something physical. Yes, Will Du was very glad he was the pilot and not the briefer on this assignment.

Kim was so full of fury she could hardly think straight, but she was doing her best to control it, or at the very least contain it. Forget the fact that Global Justice had sent one of their older hover jets, when she knew they had newer, faster models waiting. Forget that they'd sent her least favorite agent, Will Du, as the pilot on this mission. Even forget the fact that Betty Director had seen fit to come on this mission personally, and was doing her best to convince Kim that she needed backup for this rescue, despite the teen hero's constant insistence that this was personal and she would handle it alone. No, what really had Kim seething was a certain blonde-haired foe that currently held _HER_ man captive. If Adrena Lynn wanted to go up against her when she was fully riled up, that was _exactly_ what Kim Possible was going to give her!

The red-head would have maybe been a little calmer, but _that note_ had her so incensed she couldn't see anything but that woman's face. The former teen daredevil…scratch that, former _fake_ teen daredevil had openly mocked both her and Ron, and the tone of it was someone so cocky it seemed like Shego and Bonnie all rolled into one. What added insult to injury was that Adrena Lynn had even removed Ron's jersey after capturing him and tied it to the antenna of Kim's car like a victory flag. That was the final straw in Kim's eyes, and now she wanted to put the villainess in a ferocious world of hurt.

"Kim," said Betty Director, trying once again to calm the enraged young woman. "Listen to me. Right now, if you go in there alone, you would hurt Ron's situation more than help it. I've seen this tactic before. Adrian Lynn is trying to get you so consumed by your anger that you get sloppy and start to make mistakes. If you go after her like you are right now, I guarantee either you or Ron is going to end up seriously hurt."

Kim glared at the woman. "I don't care about any Adrian Lynn. The only one I'm concerned about right now is Adrena Lynn and putting her away for good," she snarled.

Dr. Director sighed. "See, you aren't even recognizing when I use her civilian name. This isn't you, Kim. This isn't Kim Possible."

Kim blinked a few times, realizing the director was right. She took a few breaths, but still felt like she wanted to put Adrena Lynn through a wall and then seal her inside it.

"Look, this is my mission. It isn't just that she came after me and took Ron. It's that she blames us for her career falling apart, and also is openly mocking us because of that. If it's wasn't for us, she would probably still be doing her show just like she always had. Team Possible created this monster, and now we have to stop it. And since she has Ron, that means _I_ have to stop her."

Dr. Director nodded. "Kim, I understand that, but part of what makes you so good, as you said in that interview, is that you support each other. Since Ron isn't available for that, let us be your support."

Kim shook her head. "I appreciate it, but I can't. I have to get Ron back by myself. It's the only way. If you guys join in, it'll be the first Duff Killigan fight all over again. Team Possible could have had that wrapped up in no time, but your agents almost let him get away. And while I'll be the first to admit we couldn't have taken Gemini without your help, it was partly your fault that we ever faced your brother in the first place. Do you see what I'm saying?"

The Global Justice leader grimaced, but nodded. "Okay, Kim. You've got thirty minutes to yourself. If it goes longer than that, we're stepping in. And I want you to understand this is another one of those situations we talked about." She said the last line in a whisper, so that Kim was sure she was the only one who heard it over the hover jets engines.

Kim nodded. "Thank you. Now, how far are we from New York?"

* * *

Ron tried his bonds unsuccessfully yet again. This was getting ridiculous, and he had no idea how to get out of his current predicament. He was just about to try again when he someone removed his blindfold.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," remarked Adrena Lynn as she pointed downward. Ron noticed she was hanging on a rope ladder attached to the same pole that his rope was. That could only mean one thing…

Looking down, Ron realized he was suspended over the Times Square jumbotron by nothing more than the rope he was tied with. Even if he did manage to break loose, it was a good bet he wouldn't have time to grab it before he fell. And no amount of Mystical Monkey Power would save him. The hovering he'd experienced during the Lorwardian fight had only come about at complete full power, and he knew he would never be able to summon that up in time. Not that his powers were working right now anyway, but it was something to keep in mind. In short, Ron Stoppable, Savior of the World, was about as helpless as he could be right now.

"I swear, Adrena Lynn," he growled as the anger in him began to grow, "If you hurt Kim, you'll have to pull off a real daredevil escape to get away from me."

The villainess got a crazy look in her eyes that made Ron think she might be even more insane than Monkey Fist. "Oooh, the boyfriend is getting FR-EAKY now. Besides, you're not the one I want. If Kim doesn't catch that dummy, you don't take that picture, and I'm not exposed. And she's also the one who made me look like a fool when she took me on that jetpack ride. Get it? Kim Possible is the one I want to send to a crushing defeat, maybe even to her death!"

Ron's furious yell could be heard even over the clash of noises down on the street. All at once, practically all activity at street level ceased, and everyone looked up. Several people could be heard gasping or screaming at the sight they saw. However, above it all, one person was heard to yell.

"Look!"

Ron looked out over the expanse. There, screaming towards them at breakneck speed, was a person with a jetpack. A person with flaming red hair billowing out behind her.

"KIM! LOOK OUT!"

Adrena Lynn had jumped out towards the teen hero before Kim realized what was going on, and after a twisting flip landed on the back of her jetpack.

"Time to take a fall, Kim Possible!" she yelled as she pressed the release on the pack.

Kim felt the fall coming before it started. She aimed her wrist Kimmunicator grappling hook at one of the signs and fired, feeling the line grow taught just a second after the jetpack came loose. Swinging in a loop around the sign, she released at just the right moment to catch Adrena Lynn in the chest with both feet before rebounding towards a building and grabbing a drain pipe for a safe slide down. As she did, she noticed people fleeing to safe distances. They were even abandoning their cars. Obviously, they expected this fight to be a no holds, dragged out brawl, and Kim had to admit they might be right.

The villainess was stunned from the aerial drop kick, but only long enough to knock her onto a fire escape. Quickly recovering, she flipped off of the fire escape and plummeted the remaining three stories to the ground, ending in a perfectly timed roll. The roll brought her face to face with Kim, or rather feet to face with Kim, sending the teen hero flying into a hotdog cart.

As she got up without dusting herself off, Kim smirked. "Looks like you've picked up some new moves, Adrian."

Adrena Lynn snarled. "MY NAME IS ADRENA LYNN, NOT ADRIAN!"

With that, she came flying at Kim in a rapidly rotating jump kick, which Kim easily blocked and countered with a roundhouse punch. However, that too was blocked, and Kim found herself once again flying backwards, the victim of a vicious up kick that caught her in the stomach yet somehow didn't take her air. This time, she didn't get up as quickly.

"C'mon, Kim Possible. You say you can do anything, right? Can't you save your boy toy?"

That brought a surge of anger through Kim, and she dashed the other girl with a flying tackle, sending them both smashing into a park bench that shattered as they landed. As they landed, Kim heard a pop, but couldn't tell if it was her or Adrena Lynn who had done the popping. Both were soon back on their feet, Lynn unleashing a violent torrent of punches all intended to be haymakers. Kim managed to dodge most of them, but one caught her in the shoulder while the one following it connected with her face.

_Ugh, this is so wrong!_ she thought as she rolled away, trying to get her bearings. _I beat this one easy last time, and that was with three and a half years' less experience than I've got now. What's the sitch?_

Of course, she knew what the sitch was. This time, Adrena Lynn wasn't just some fake pretending to be an adrenaline junkie. This time, the teen was an actual daredevil armed with some major fighting skills. And unfortunately for Kim, that was making all the difference in the world. Not to mention Kim had come into this contest completely unprepared for the kind of fight the blonde was putting up. She had underestimated Adrena Lynn, but that was about to change. Unlike this girl, who seemed completely hell-bent, Kim had something to lose, something she wasn't willing to give up under any circumstance.

Adrena Lynn again pulled out her twisting attack from the air, this time with her fists, but this time Kim was ready. She sidestepped, grabbing one of Lynn's wrists as she did so, and used the momentum created from the spin to send her opponent crashing into a nearby fruit newsstand. While the villainess was dazed, Kim got a sudden idea. Though she kept her defensive posture, she pressed the main activation button on her Kimmunicator.

"Wade, patch me through to the G.J. hover jet pronto."

A few seconds later, she heard Betty's voice. "Dr. Director here. Go ahead, Kim."

"Betty, I can't focus completely with Ron hanging there about to fall if he tries to free himself. Get him out of there."

"We're on it, Kim. Need any help down there?"

"No, leave this to me. Just save him, and don't let him join in, either."

That was all the time she had before Adrena Lynn was up again. She came flying at Kim, and a solid hook kick connected with Kim's back, sending her forward and past the villainess. She slammed into the wall of the nearby building, but bounced off quickly just before Lynn connected with a kick to the wall exactly where Kim's head had been, causing a large cave-in of the wall at the section she hit. Kim used the opportunity to land a well-placed uppercut under Adrena Lynn's chin, sending her flying out into the street and onto the hood of a taxi cab.

Adrena Lynn rolled backwards off the cab just as Kim came flying in with a two-handed punch. Just before the punch landed, the villainess grabbed Kim's wrists and changed her momentum, sending her smashing back first into an abandoned car. She followed that with another vicious punch to Kim's midsection. Kim was so stunned from hitting the car that she didn't have to react to the punch, and it caused her breath to shoot out of her mouth. She had only enough to time to sweep her opponents legs to avoid another shot to her stomach. Rolling away, she tried to catch her wind. Realizing she needed more time, Kim dove under an elevated moving truck.

"Oh, what's this? The great Kim Possible running for her life?" Adrena Lynn taunted, her voice in that high cackling range that she normally only used for her signature sayings.

Kim rose with a smirk. "You wish. Oh, and by the way, Shego gives me a much better workout."

Kim knew it was a lie, but it wasn't intended to stir her confidence. It was meant to get under Adrena Lynn's skin while at the same time giving Kim a little bit of focus. Thinking quickly, she once again fired her Kimmunicator's grappling hook, this time for a flagpole. It seemed obvious that Adrena Lynn had trained for a ground battle, and Kim wondered if she'd done any aerial combat training. She didn't have long to wait for an answer.

Adrena Lynn hopped up onto the moving truck Kim had just rolled under, performed a flip off of that, and rebounded off a building to give her jump more height. Then she came hurtling down at the teen hero at breakneck speed, her kick aimed directly at Kim's chest. However, Kim had anticipated this, and released her grappler seconds before the kick hit. The result was that she dropped low enough to avoid the kick but was still high enough to grab the leg and throw Adrena Lynn into the roof of a car below. Kim also used the resulting momentum to propel herself towards a clear area where she could land safely. Glancing at the jumbotron, she saw Ron being loaded into the hover jet, still wrapped up like a caterpillar in its cocoon. If not for the fight, she would have found his predicament rather funny. Looking back at the car she'd thrown Adrena Lynn into, she saw the villainess getting up slowly, as if she were seriously injured.

However in the next second, Kim was convinced she'd just fallen for a ruse, as Adrena Lynn was once again charging her. However, she stopped just short, and the two battered teens circled each other on the wide sidewalk like two lionesses fighting over a mate. Kim was definitely feeling the effects of fatigue from her long day, but Adrena Lynn was looking just as chipped around the edges. Kim also perceived that her opponent was moving with a slightly noticeable limp.

"Not going how you planned it, is it Lynn?" Kim remarked.

"Hey, as long as I get to take you out, Kim Possible, the rest of my plans could be complete washouts for all I care."

That maniacal look was back on Adrena Lynn's face, and lips were once again twisted into an insane smirk. Kim began to wonder if her opponent could still be considered totally sane. Had revenge against her really driven the girl to madness?

Adrena Lynn pounced, and Kim used her momentum to kick flip the girl into a bus stop station. However, Adrena Lynn simply pushed off of the side of the stop with her feet and came back with a flying punch. Kim merely sidestepped, causing the teen daredevil to crash into a parked car. Kim then grabbed the feet before they hit the ground and used them to hurl Adrena Lynn into a group of trash cans.

**...**  
**...**

Meanwhile, inside the Global Justice hover jet that had saved Ron, it was taking three burly agents to keep him from jumping out and joining Kim in the fight.

"Ron," declared Dr. Betty Director, "Kim told us to not let you join in. This is something she said she had to do alone."

Ron was incensed beyond anger. "Don't give me that! Put this craft on the ground! KP needs me!" His eyes started to flash blue.

Dr. Director saw what was happening, and quickly put her head next to his ear to whisper. "Ron, if you power up now, and force your way out of here, you will all but guarantee that my replacement takes over. And I am completely serious about what I said about him and what you two do. Please, calm down."

Ron did slightly, but only slightly. "Fine. I promise I won't join in, but put me on the ground."

**…**  
**...**

Down on the ground, both girls were breathing hard. Kim could feel the bruises starting to form and the stiffness starting to take hold. She also felt the trickle of blood from the cut above her left eye. Looking over at Adrena Lynn, it was obvious the teen daredevil wasn't fairing much better.

"You know," Kim said between ragged breaths, "maybe I was wrong. This is normally the kind of workout Shego puts me through."

Adrena Lynn smirked. "And we haven't even gone FR-EAKY yet."

Kim smiled and dropped into a defensive stance. "Well, I'm ready anytime you are."

The villainess spat out what Kim could only assume was blood. "No, you're not."

With that, she proved her point with a dashing slide scissor tackle that cut Kim off at the knees, sending the teen hero crashing to the ground. Lynn then pulled an identical move to Kim's earlier one, grabbing her feet and slamming the red head into a sidewalk bench. She then followed with leaping knee aimed right at Kim's stomach, but Kim managed to barely avoid it before bringing her own knee crashing up into the side of Adrena Lynn's head. The momentum of the exchange rolled them both off the bench, and while it was only maybe a two foot drop to the ground, they both felt the effects and didn't get up immediately, instead rolling onto their stomachs to look at each other.

The two teens lay there, staring at each other, each gazing at the fire in the other's eyes. Adrena Lynn smiled, and Kim could almost swear it was a smile of intense respect.

"You know, Kim, this isn't your normal style of fighting," the villainess spat out through blood soaked teeth.

Kim smirked, a little surprised that she could still show some mirth. "Well, you didn't pull the normal villain sitch. You took the man I'm in love with, and I'd do anything to get him back."

Adrena Lynn smiled. "Except let him help you when it's obvious you need it."

Kim grinned as she started to rise. "Have you checked…checked the mirror, lately?"

The blonde grinned again as she also rose to her feet. "Oh, I'm sure you look much more of a fright that I do. In fact, I'm willing to bet that when you're boy toy sees you, he's going to recoil in disgust."

"STOP CALLING HIM THAT!" Kim screamed as she sent a vicious, unrestrained spinning kick at Adrena Lynn's head. The speed and force of the blow caught the villainess completely off guard, and sent her crashing towards a nearby streetlight. Adrena Lynn smashed into it full force, and there was a sickening snap as her right shoulder took the full force of the impact. The howl of pain made it clear to everyone that Kim had just inflicted monstrous damage.

As the villainess rose, she smiled, and jerked her head off to the right. Kim glanced off in that direction, and saw Ron standing there, the look on his face one of complete disbelief.

"Wonder what he thinks of you now, Kim?" Adrena Lynn said with a sinister laugh. With that, she leapt towards an alleyway and used a chimney-style series of jumps to climb between the buildings, disappearing once she got to the roof.

It was only then that Kim realized exactly what the blonde's plan had been all along. She'd wanted Kim to go all out, to lose herself in her fury and destroy the "good-girl" image that made the teen hero so famous. With that last move, Kim had probably done major damage to not only Adrena Lynn, but to her reputation as well. Not to mention what Ron must think of her now. As the realization hit, Kim sank to the ground, tears of frustration quickly beginning to fall. She pounded on the ground to the point her hands hurt, and tried to get a hold of her emotions.

It was then she felt the familiar hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Ron's smiling face as he knelt down beside her.

"KP, it's over. She's gone."

Kim threw her arms around her boyfriend, letting the tears fall freely. Ron said nothing, but held her close while she sobbed. They must have stayed like that for several minutes, because when she looked up, she saw a crowd of people had formed a circle around them.

"Ron," she whispered, "what must they think of me now?"

Ron leaned back from her and smiled. "If you want that answer, take a look behind you."

Kim turned around. There, standing before her, was a little girl, maybe seven years old. The look on her face wasn't one of fear or disbelief, but one of wonder and amazement. She held out a glittering notebook with Kim's face on it.

"Kim Possible, can I have your autograph?"

Kim smiled, and though a few tears started again, they were tears of happiness. "Sure, what's your name?"

"Jamie. Jamie Albertson."

Kim spoke as she wrote. "To Jamie. Dreams are Possible. Kim Possible."

As she handed the book back to the child, the girl's smile got wider and wider. As she walked back to her mother, she was overjoyed. "Mommy! Mommy! I got Kim Possible's autograph!" Her mother smiled and nodded.

A collective cheer went up from the crowd, and Ron helped his girlfriend to stand, placing his arm around her waist and her arm around his shoulders. As they started towards the Global Justice hover jet, Kim couldn't help but smile, and Ron smiled right along with her.

"See, KP, told you they'd think it was no big."

Kim looked at him and smiled. "What about you, Ronnie?"

Ron blinked a few times before he realized what she was asking. "Me? I still think I've got the most bon-diggity hero in the world as my girlfriend, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

With that, he paused on the loading ramp of the hover jet, and pulled her into a loving, tender kiss. The collective cheering of the crowd once again went up in volume, but all Kim could hear was the beating of her own heart matched in perfect time to the man she loved.

* * *

As night fell, Xander and June finally reached the Caribbean Islands. It didn't take Xander long to pinpoint which island housed his parents' base, and they cut their jets at half a mile and torpedo-dived into the water to avoid being seen. They didn't stay underwater long, instead swimming the remaining distance until they reached the island's edge. The approach and emergence reminded June of a story her parents had told her about them needing to sneak into the Bermuda Triangle Club during the Lil' Diablo mission, except that there were no electric fences, harpoon-firing drones, or laser-firing clams in their way. As they came up on the beach on the far side of the island, away from any guards, she couldn't help but comment.

"You know, you'd think with as many times as Mom and Dad busted in here, you're parents would have better security set up."

Xander sighed. "You'd think so, but Dad never was big on outside security measures. He preferred elaborate traps set up on the inside."

June shook her head. "And you're mom?"

Xander fired up his fist. "Do I need to say more?" he laughed.

June laughed as well, but then got serious. "So do you think Lars is already here?"

Scanning the beach, Xander nodded and pointed. "It would seem so."

There, not a hundred feet from where they'd come up, was a small metal dingy with a motor that looked like it belonged about twenty to twenty-five years in the future. June instantly recognized it as a silent-running sonic engine. If that was here, there was no doubt that Future Lars was as well. They were quickly running out of time.

Xander looked at her. "So what do we do?"

Julie shrugged. "I guess we're playing it by ear now."

* * *

One thing Kim both loved and hated about having a doctor for a mother was how she was treated after particularly punishing missions. The Global Justice medic on board the hover jet had inspected her injuries as soon as she boarded, and found that, incredibly, she had no broken bones. Her shoulder was slightly dislocated, but that was fixed fairly quickly. The whole rest of the ride home, which took about twice as long since they weren't in any rush, Kim simply sat on the floor wrapped in Ron's arms. However, the minute she and Ron walked through the door, her mother marched her right out to the car and drove her over to the Middleton Medical Center. Ron, of course, insisted on not leaving his girlfriend's side, which he was able to do relatively well apart from a few tests where she was taken off alone to one lab or another. Kim spent the better part of the rest of the night going through a battery of tests, which, as it turned out, was actually a good idea.

Anne Possible was slightly ticked at the Global Justice medic, who failed to notice that Kim had a series of very large contusions on her back, a cut above her eye that needed more than a gauze bandage, and a sprained ankle. The ankle was wrapped, and liquid stitches closed the wound above her eye. Kim would also have to wear a back support for a few days to make sure no permanent damage had been done. Kim of course refused crutches for her ankle at first, and not even her own mother could persuade her. However, all it took was thirty seconds from Ron and she grudgingly accepted. It would only be for maybe a week, just to give her ankle time to fully recover. It was either that or confined bed rest, and Kim Possible was too active to allow that.

The minute they got back to the Stoppable house, Anne marched them both off into Kim's room for a good night's sleep. Not even James argued the point, understanding that what they both needed was as much rest and sleep as they could get that night. Kim and Ron were so tired they didn't even notice except for a small kiss before they cuddled up together in the queen-sized bed. As Anne Possible shut the door and settled down into one of the living room chairs, she looked at the other three adults in the room. Both the Possibles and the Stoppables had stayed up all night watching the special report on the fight and waiting for their children to come home. After a few moments of silence, James could hold his thoughts no longer.

"You know, I've never seen Kimmie-cub so consumed before. It was like she was a different person."

Gene nodded. "I agree, though I do feel somewhat responsible. I dropped Ronald off at that mall away from the doors, and supposedly that's when he got taken."

Jean patted her husband's arm. "Now sweetie, you don't know that that girl wouldn't have taken him no matter where he was. She seemed totally bent on getting to those two. I'm not even sure a full squadron of Global Justice agents could have stopped her."

James nodded. "What I don't understand is why Kimmie-cub felt she had to fight that Adrena Lynn alone. It was obvious from the start it wasn't the same person she fought four years ago."

Anne merely shook her head. "Honey, it wasn't just some mission to Kimmie. That girl took what mattered most in our daughter's heart, and on something like that, it wouldn't have mattered if she was facing one or one hundred. When a woman takes something from another woman, it hits very close to home and becomes very personal."

James got a faraway look in his eyes. "When a woman…"

Anne smiled, seeing the wheels turning in her husband's head. "That's right, Jimmy. Whether you like it or not, she's not four years old with pigtails anymore. She's become a woman, and in a few days she'll be able to do anything she wants whether you say she can or not."

James sighed. "I know. It's just hard to let go."

His wife smiled again. "I know it is."

Gene grinned. "Well, if I know Ronald as well I think I do, he's going to do everything he can to make sure she's as safe as it's possible for those two to be. And plus, I'm positive he's going to make sure that she stays close with you two. He knows she wouldn't be who she is without the way you've raised her."

James got a sort of sad little smile on his face. "I know, Gene. I just feel like she grew up too fast, and I missed most of it."

Jean nodded. "They both did, James. They both did."

* * *

The fallout from the brawl between Kim and Adrena Lynn wasn't nearly as bad as Kim had feared. The majority of the reputable media took into consideration just what the teen daredevil had taken from the teen hero, and plugged the brutality of the fight as exactly what her mother had said: one woman taking back what another woman had stolen. The only ones who tried to throw an "out of control Kim Possible" spin on the tale were some of the lower-class tabloids, ones that had been spinning speculation for months that Kim and Ron had gotten intimate the night of the Junior Prom, a story that nobody believed.

The next morning, when Kim awoke wrapped in her boyfriend's arms with both of them in a state of undress, she at first panicked. All four parents, her father in particular, had set down very specific rules for the two teens concerning sleeping arrangements. However, the appearance of her mother at the door revealed that everyone, including her father, had been perfectly fine with the situation, especially considering the circumstances and the state Kim and Ron had been in when they arrived back at the house. They talked quietly for a few minutes, mostly about what had transpired once they had arrived back home from the hospital. Once her mother left the room, Kim snuggled up even closer to Ron, but felt herself jump forward when she noticed something. Ron had always had big hands and feet, but for some reason Kim had never quite made the connection. She smiled as she cuddled back up to him: if Bonnie had known certain things, she might not have been so cruel to the young man.

Kim reawakened about an hour later, and was surprised to find that Ron was not there with her. She looked at the clock, and saw that it was just barely 8:30 AM. Sitting up was difficult as the aftermath of the night before made its self known, but she managed just the same. Reaching for her back support, she slipped it on, followed by one of Ron's red jerseys which she had claimed as a night shirt shortly after they started dating. The shirt hung like a mini-skirt on her, but just for good measure she pulled out a pair of white shorts to be safe. Then she grabbed her crutches and hobbled out into the living room. It was Friday morning, and judging by the time she expected to find a relatively empty house apart from her and Ron. However, all four parents were sitting there, all smiling as she came out of the bedroom.

Her father was the first to speak. "How are you feeling, Kimmie-cub?"

She smiled as best she could. "Fine, Daddy. Just a little sore."

Jean smiled. "Well, after the fight you had with that other girl over our Ron, I'm not surprised."

Kim grimaced a bit. "Yeah. She's not the same person I went up against four years ago."

"Kimmie, you need to rest, especially with the way you're back is right now," Anne said as she quickly ushered her daughter to a chair.

"Where's Ron?" Kim asked, realizing she had yet to see her boyfriend since she'd woken up for the second time.

"In here, KP," his voice called from the kitchen. From the wonderful smells that were beginning to filter about the room, Ron had taken it upon himself to fix up a gourmet breakfast for everybody. "How do you want your eggs, KP? Sunny-side up like normal?"

"Please and thank you, Ronnie," she called. It was then she noticed the sharp twinge in her neck. "Hey, Mom, did they do any neck tests on me last night?"

Her mother nodded. "Yes, but they didn't find anything. However, Dr. Ryan did say that you should probably avoid a lot of sudden movements for at least a day or two. And I've already called Wade to let him know that you are officially pulled from missions for a few days on doctor's orders. That means none until at least after you're birthday."

Kim rolled her eyes but nodded. "Okay, Mom. Besides, I don't think I'm going to be able to pull off any flips or martial arts moves for a few days anyhow."

At that moment, there was a series of loud popping noise from the kitchen. "It's all right," called Ron. "There was just a little too much grease on the bacon and the sausage patties."

Kim and the adults all laughed. Ron was such a gourmet chef in the kitchen that he rarely made mistakes. Mistakes were so rare that when they did happen, they were normally a source of some amusement for those that knew him. Especially for Kim, who often found him passing off mistakes by blaming something else going wrong. In the kitchen was one of the few areas that Ron might be considered a bit on a high-horse, and she loved to tease him about it. And the majority of the time, he took it for what it was: a little harmless ribbing from a girl who was crazy about him.

Pretty soon the meal was ready. Actually, it was probably closer to a personalized feast for each individual. Ron had made five different kinds of eggs, fried up some bacon, sizzled some sausage patties and links, cooked up some ham, and set out a plate with several orange slices. He'd also made two pots of coffee all the way from grinding the beans himself to steeping it personally without a coffee maker, one regular and one hazelnut (Kim's personal favorite), and had squeezed several other oranges and strained the juice for a large pitcher of pulp-free orange juice. Finally, there was plate full of toast triangles already buttered. Practically the only thing he hadn't done himself was go out to milk the cow.

The meal was filled with and followed by pleasant conversation, which would have gone longer had Ron not had to get ready for his Smarty Mart shift. Kim would have thought it was a normal morning had it not been for one particularly strange exchange between her father and her boyfriend as the younger man got up to leave the table.

"You've got that second shift tonight at Smarty Mart, right Ronald?"

"Yeah. Starts at 6:00. Though I was told in that phone call earlier it'd be okay if I'm a few minutes late considering what took place with Adrena Lynn last night."

That was it, nothing else. It struck Kim as odd that her father would be asking about a shift he already knew about, and even stranger that Ron would be excused if he were a few minutes late since he'd already be at the store from his first shift. Something didn't quite sit right, but she decided to let it slide. After all, if she pushed either her father or Ron about it, she'd probably get nothing more than a run-around that gave her no real answers. Plus, she was a little too sore to do much pushing right now.

After Ron left, the rest of the adults went about their normal routines, leaving Kim pretty much to her own devices. Her mother did do a fair amount of fussing over her before she left for her shift at Middleton Medical Center, making sure she was comfortable and all that, but really all Kim wanted to do was lay down and rest and maybe read a book or two. Her father was still acting a little strangely, an odd bounce in his step as he headed off to work. Jean Stoppable had the day off, and did her best to keep Hana from bothering Kim too much, although Kim probably didn't help matters too much as she spent a few hours playing with the little girl as best she could. Ron's father spent most of the day in his home office, working on paperwork and figures.

Kim spent most of the day reclining on the living room couch with her ankle propped up on some pillows, either reading or watching TV. There were a few reports on the scrap she'd had with Adrena Lynn, but nothing too major. Monique dropped by shortly after 2:00, both to pick up the store keys she loaned to Kim and to check on how her friend was doing.

"Girl, I am so sorry. If I'd been the one closing the store like I was supposed to be, you guys wouldn't have gotten into that mess."

"Hey, Monique, no big. She was obsessed with getting to us, and it would have happened sooner or later. Not your fault at all."

Monique smiled. "So, did you give that girl the B.K.L.?"

Kim smiled. That acronym she knew quite well. "Butt-Kicking of a Lifetime? Yeah. Although she did a number on me too. I didn't get these injuries from making out with Ron, that's for sure."

Monique grinned. "S.O.W., Clarissa wanted me to tell you to not worry about work until you're back on your feet."

Clarissa Daniels was the general manager of the Middleton Mall Club Banana, and had always been very understanding of Kim's world-saving responsibilities. Kim suspected that had a lot to do with how loyal a customer she'd been before she started working at the clothing retailer, but had never brought it up. She also knew that it had a great deal to do with her refusing to miss work for any other reasons, even trying to come in while under the weather before she was told to go home and get well. It saddened Kim to think that when she went off to college she was probably going to have to transfer to another store, and thus lose a very good friendship she'd built up with the older woman.

"Thanks Monique. I'll be back as soon as I can."

The two friends hugged, and shortly after Monique left, Kim fell asleep. She awoke a few hours later to someone shuffling around upstairs in the shower, but after seeing the clock showing 5:30 PM she brushed it off as probably being one of her brothers getting cleaned up after cheer practice. Jim and Tim had taken over as mascots for Middleton High after Ron joined the football team his senior year, and the "Pep Puppies" were pretty close in popularity to the original Mad Dog. However, as Ron had been the first official mascot for the school, all he'd had was a homemade mask. After seeing how popular he was, the school board had sprung for full out costumes for the twins. While they might look more professional, they also carried the downside of making the wearer just a tad ripe at the end, meaning that the Tweebs often had to shower as soon as they got home. Kim decided to move to her room in case she fell asleep again.

As she did, she heard singing coming from the shower, and if she didn't know he was still at Smarty Mart for his double-shift, she would have swore it was Ron's voice. As she shut the door, it didn't even register in her mind that the performer was belting out an Oh Boyz! tune. She simply climbed onto the bed, propped up the pillows into a back rest, and settled down with a book. About fifteen minutes later, she heard her dad arrive home, and then heard someone else exit. From the sounds of the car outside, it was her father's Jaguar pulling back out, so she figured he'd simply forgotten something back at the lab like usual. About an hour later, her mother arrived home.

"How are you feeling, Kimmie?" she asked as she entered the room with a tray containing some soup and sandwiches.

"Better, but still ferociously sore. It's kind of sad too, because the one thing I really want right now is a backrub from Ron. But I know if he did it would probably just make things worse right now."

Her mother nodded as she placed the tray over Kim's lap. She then sat on the side of the bed next to her daughter's legs. "Kimmie, let me ask you something, and I'd prefer it if you were honest with me. When you two do give each other backrubs, how are you dressed?"

Kim sighed but smiled. "Normally, neither of us has a shirt on, but my bra stays on until it's time for my backrub. When it is, I lay down, and Ron unhooks me before he starts. Then he hooks me back up before I get up."

Anne Possible cocked her eyebrow. "What do you mean, normally?"

Kim blushed a little. "Well, I do have a small bladder that can't always be controlled, so…"

Her mother couldn't hold back a small laugh. "So the only time he's seen anything private has been a call of nature?"

Kim's blush deepened. "Well, there have been a few times on missions where we've had an awkward moment, but since we started dating we've been a lot more careful about avoiding those."

Anne smiled. "That's good to hear, Kimmie. It means you see each other as people and not just as boyfriend and girlfriend."

The blush faded a bit. "I guess so, Mom. But can I ask you something?"

"Of course, dear."

Kim looked down a bit. "How long did you and Daddy wait?"

Anne had suspected that was the question, and handled it calmly. "Well, your father and I were pretty heavy into each other, and there are a few college parties we don't remember the ends of, but we're pretty sure we made it all the way to about two months before we got married. And while we knew we were ready, I know both of us weren't sure we should have. Why do you ask?"

Kim moved the tray off her lap and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Mom, I keep wanting to with Ron, and it keeps getting more insistent. I mean, I know we should wait, but at the same time I'm finding more and more that I don't want to."

Her mother smiled. "Kimmie, let me ask you something. Do you want to sleep with Ron because you love him or because you want to prove to him that you love him?"

Kim was confused. "I don't get the difference."

Anne smiled. "Kimmie, if you want to do it because you love him it shows him that you love him and respect him, and that's the right reason. Having sex with Ron to prove to him that you love him only shows that you're willing to do whatever to be with him, regardless of if there's love there or not. Do you understand?"

Kim nodded. "I think so. Thanks Mom."

* * *

Later that night, when Ron got home, Kim greeted him with a warm, loving kiss. That kiss gradually developed into a make-out session, and for her that was perfectly fine. Her mind felt completely at ease about their relationship, and almost all traces of doubt had faded from her mind. All she knew was she loved this man, and wanted only him.

She was so lost in the realization and the comfort of it that she didn't notice that Ron's smile never broke once that night. Or that her father had arrived only a few minutes earlier, an identical smile stuck on his face.

* * *

a/n

As always, reviews and comments are always welcome. :)


	12. Chapter 12

A/N

Chapter 12 is up and running!

Kim goes through a difficult recovery, or at least difficult for her.

Xander and June do some reconnaissance at the lair of his parents.

Wade prepares for Kim's return, providing a look at the workings of Team Possible.

And Kim's birthday arrives, with a heart to heart with her dad and more than a few surprises.

And now for the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

Later that night, when Ron got home, Kim greeted him with a warm, loving kiss. That kiss gradually developed into a make-out session but stopped there, and for her that was perfectly fine. Her mind felt completely at ease about their relationship, and almost all traces of doubt had faded from her mind. All she knew was she loved this man, and wanted only him.

She was so lost in the realization and the comfort of it that she didn't notice that Ron's smile never broke once that night. Or that her father had arrived only a few minutes earlier, an identical smile stuck on his face.

* * *

The weekend came and went with relatively little incident. Kim was of course confined at home, but considering how worn out she still was from her fight with Adrena Lynn, it was to be expected. Ron, of course, was the consummate caretaker when he was home, fluffing her pillows, massaging her back softly to help with the pain, rewrapping her ankle, and of course bringing her many meals in bed or on the couch. Kim thought he was going a little bit overboard with the bringing her meals part, but she accepted it as him wanting to take care of his girlfriend as much as possible. She was even willing to put up with the dual fussing over how comfortable she was from both her mother and Jean Stoppable, though she did tell Ron's mother several times to stop worrying so much about Hana bothering her. The little girl was constantly bouncing off the walls (both literally and figuratively), and it provided a welcome distraction from boredom for Kim to be able to play with her, even if it was limited. However, there was one thing that was literally driving Kim batty—that stupid back support!

At first, Kim didn't mind wearing it so much. The first day or two, it really helped with her pain and the occasional spasm, even if it was a tad itchy. However, by Sunday evening, the fact that it was helping with the lingering effects of the fact had worn away, and it just itched and got in her way. It prevented her from turning all the way around, meaning she had to spend a lot of extra energy to turn herself on her crutches when standing, whereas while sitting reaching stuff involved a lot of uncomfortable arm movements. Her mother was no help at all.

"Sorry, Kimmie, but Dr. Ryan said you have to wear that for at least two more days. Your back took a lot of punishment in that fight, and we'd rather be safe than sorry."

The calm, cool expression on her mother's face when she made that pronouncement irked Kim to no end. She'd gotten kicked in the back plenty of times before, and it had never resulted in this! Ron was some help, letting her take it off for her backrubs, but even he'd gotten to the point where she couldn't get up without both her bra hooked back up and that stupid support circling her waist again. And of course his reasoning made complete sense, annoying her further.

"KP, if you don't wear it, you could hurt your back worse and then the world-saving career would be over instead of just on hold."

The mere thought of losing something that was as much a part of her as her red hair and green eyes was enough of an incentive to keep wearing the darn thing, but it was still itchy! She was halfway tempted to rebel, and started to make plans on how she could leave it off without either her mother or her boyfriend finding out. However, the events of the next morning shot those thoughts completely out of her head.

Monday morning she woke up feeling completely refreshed and renewed. Even her ankle was down to a minor throb. While still lying out, she stretched her limbs, feeling better than she had since Thursday morning before her double at Club Banana. Deciding to test herself, she shot up to a sitting position. Big mistake! The howl of pain she elicited brought both mothers running, as well bringing Ron dashing in off the couch. They found Kim Possible curled up in a pained ball, her hand pressed against her back and tears in her eyes. It didn't take two guesses to figure out what had happened. As soon as they figured out she wasn't seriously hurt, Anne Possible shooed everyone else out, then walked over to her daughter and had her slowly uncurl and stretch out on her stomach.

"Kimmie, why did you try to do that? You know you're supposed to take it easy for a few more days," she said as she calmly rubbed some ointment meant to make muscles relax on Kim's back.

"I felt just fine a few moments ago, Mom, I swear. I thought I was fully healed." The hurt was evident in Kim's voice.

Anne shook her head. "Kimmie, I love you and I know you want to get back to being active, but you have got to know that even you have limits. That girl the other night pushed you and pushed you hard, and now you have to take the time to recover. To tell the truth, with the lifestyle you lead, I'm surprised something like this hasn't happened sooner."

Kim turned her head to face her mother. "Mom, it's not just that I can't be active. It's that I'm cooped up here while everyone else can come and go as they please. That's the problem."

Anne continued rubbing the muscle relaxer into her daughter's back. "I know, honey, but the more time you take to rest, the sooner you can put this whole thing behind you. I'll bet your ankle feels better, right?"

"Yes," Kim sniffed.

Anne smiled. "Well, that's because you've been doing exactly what the doctor told you about staying off of it and using your crutches. I don't think I've seen that foot hit the ground once since we got home from the hospital early Saturday morning. I know it's not the same, but you've got to treat your back the same way. You've got to give it time to heal. You may be able to live up to your motto of 'I can do anything,' but you're not invincible. You have to take time to recover just like anybody else."

"Okay," replied Kim. "But do you think you could pick up a couple books from the Middleton Library for me?"

Anne laughed. "Deal."

* * *

Two thousand miles away, Adrena Lynn stumbled through a New Jersey junkyard. Thankfully, she'd done some first aid study, and had been able to reset her own shoulder. It still hurt like crazy, but at least it worked. The problem was the broken bone in her forearm. Thankfully it was just a simple fracture and not a full break, but it was still slowing her down. She needed someplace to recover, somewhere the authorities wouldn't pick up on her before she was raring to go again and ready for a rematch with Kim Possible.

_Kim Possible._

Just the thought of that girl sent fire through Lynn's veins. Despite her best efforts at tarnishing the teen hero's reputation, the world still saw her as the good girl. Lynn had been able to drive Kim into a complete fury hell-bent on destroying her, and the media still painted the girl as simply doing what she always did and saving the day. And to top it all off, Kim would be ready next time. Adrena Lynn would no longer be able to surprise her with new fighting skills and a daredevil hellcat attitude. That meant the villainess had probably blown her best chance at her revenge, though she still wanted it badly, like a fire in her blood.

As she stumbled through the junkyard, she came across the back of a bus with a sign that declared, "Secret Entrance." Adrena Lynn shook her head in disgusted disbelief. Who would hang out in a junkyard?

_Stupid kids._

That's when she picked up the movement off to her right. Whirling around, she held up her good left arm and dropped into the best defensive stance she could manage with her injuries. That is, until she saw the leader of the group that had surprised her.

"You got about five seconds to tell us what you're doing here. Seriously."

* * *

June stared at the henchmen walking around beneath the vent where she was hiding, trying her best to figure out which one was Lars. She knew that each one had different modifications to his uniform, but amongst that sea of red it was hard to tell one from the other. Plus, all she had to really distinguish him was a basic description of his build. She knew he was one of the burlier guys, but they were henchmen, meaning most of them fit that category. She also knew he was one of the taller ones, and that eliminated a few more, but it still wasn't much to go on. She only hoped Xander was having more luck on his end.

…………………………………

Xander had the hacker skills of his mother, but the files were still hard to find. What was worse is he kept having to wait for the control room to empty, jump down, search a few files until he heard someone coming, close the search, and jump back up to his hiding place near the ceiling so that he wouldn't be seen. Throw in that Wade had never bothered to enter Lars's last name in to his Kimmunicator's database, meaning that he had to search every single file. All in all it was pretty tedious. He'd been at it for almost a full day now, and was becoming more and more tempted to follow his mother's footsteps and power blast the whole thing. If it hadn't been for the importance of this mission, he might have done just that. As it was, he'd already gone through half the database, but still nothing. Why his dad kept files on former henchmen, he'd never understand, but that wasn't nearly as frustrating as having to reset the search after every profile.

Checking the chronometer in his Kimmunicator, he grumbled to himself when he realized that, if their information was correct, the Attitudinator would be ordered in just a few days, and that the event he and June were here to stop was less than a week away. As the room cleared out again, he jumped down quickly, running through the rest of the P's. They were running out of time.

* * *

Wade scanned the lists of "help requested" and "help needed" that had been compiled through the Team Possible website. In just a few days, Kim would be restored to active duty, and they needed to be ready, especially since the requests were starting to pile up. Thankfully, there weren't that many submissions on the "help needed" list, which was the more dire of the two. Mostly just supply runs or minor inventions stolen. The "help requested" list was about twice as long, and had to be filtered to what continent it was from. Most of these were simply minor things, such as 'opinion needed', or 'this will happen in a few days.' However, one request caught his eye, though he didn't know why.

It came from a small island in the Caribbean, and for some reason the coordinates seemed familiar to him. Opening it up, Wade saw that it was signed by a Sheila Godfrey, a name he didn't recognize at all, though something in the back of his mind told him he should. It was a simple request for help with a shifting operation, but it didn't say what cargo they'd be shifting or protecting. It wasn't that odd of a request, since Team Possible had been called on before to protect various shipments of supplies from one place to another. The only thing out of the ordinary was that it stated it was urgent several times over.

Making a decision, Wade moved the request to the top of the list, but left off the research part of the mission until Kim was back on track. Then he went back to once again reading, sorting, and filing the requests.

* * *

The day of May 31st dawned bright and clear. For Kim Possible, it signaled several things.

First and foremost in her mind, that wonderful Wednesday marked the removal of her back support and her ankle wrapping. Finally, she could get out of this house and go outside. She might not be 100% just yet, but at least she could now work on getting back to that. She could also get some exercise, something she'd found she missed almost as much as the missions she was still barred from. Of course, if she really thought about it, going on missions while feeling anything less than her best was a sure path to trouble, as that Ray X sitch had proven. If not for her sneezing and coughing on the original assignment, Drakken and Shego would never have made off with the device Team Possible later learned could have cured their colds in five seconds.

Second, it was her birthday. Specifically, it was her 18th birthday, and though she technically wouldn't turn 18 until 3:42 that afternoon, just the arrival of the day was enough to satisfy most people. It all excited the hell out of her. For one thing, she was now considered a legal adult, and even if Ron wasn't with her on a mission (which was rare nowadays) she could still rent a hotel room for the night, eliminating the need for red-eye flights past midnight unless she had to be back right away. Also, it meant a few other things, but Kim knew those would come when she and Ron were ready.

Third, and probably the part she was most excited about, Ron had promised a special Birthday surprise for her that was to come in two parts. The first part she would get today, while the second part he was saving for their Friday night date. He had her in a complete state of happy suspense about it, saying that he guaranteed she was going to like both parts. Also, he'd promised that he was going to be one to fix dinner that night, and that Kim was going to get to decide the menu. Whatever she wanted, whether it was simple sandwiches or fall-off-the-bone ribs or even melt-in-your-mouth roast duck, Ron would take care of it. All she had to do was let him know that morning what she wanted so he would have time to prepare it.

However, there was one aspect of her birthday dinner she didn't want her boyfriend to take care of, simply because it was a tradition. Every year since Kim was six and had discovered the rich, delicious texture of the dessert, Anne Possible had made her daughter a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and red sugar sprinkles. Just the thought of that cake melting on her tongue made Kim's mouth water. After discovering that was Kim's favorite cake, Ron had of course made several for her, but there was just something special about her mom's version that Ron, as much of a whiz as he was in the kitchen, would never be able to recreate.

When Kim woke up that morning, she found Ron sitting there on the side of her bed, the look in his eyes taking her breath away. She also noticed the door to her bedroom was shut. Had they been much older or married at that point in time, she would have pulled him under the covers and not let him out until they were both happily sated. As it was, the smile on his face and the love in those chocolate brown eyes was all she needed to feel instantly refreshed. She stretched slowly, and almost panicked when she realized she had nothing on but her bra and panties. However, his warm smile instantly cut through her fears, even to the point that she let the sheet fall as she slowly rose up, letting him see her barely covered chest.

"You know, KP, with you wearing that thing, I'd almost think you're trying to tell me something."

"Maybe I am, Ronnie," she said with a sly smile as she glanced down at the black satin cups.

Ron leaned forward and kissed her softly, running his hands all along her back and through her hair. Kim met his love with an equally tender feeling, running her hands through that blonde hair. However, she wanted more. Before she could chicken out again, she gently grabbed his wrist, and brought his right hand to rest over her heart. Only this time, she didn't hover with it, instead placing it softly on her chest right at the edge where fabric met skin. He cupped her there, drinking in the soft taste of her kiss.

After a few minutes like that, he leaned back and pulled forward a square red box. It was too big to be a ring box, but there was no question it was a jewelry box. She looked at him with a gasp, and he smiled.

"Something beautiful for a beautiful woman. Happy Birthday, KP."

With that, he flipped open the lid, revealing two brilliant emerald and diamond earrings. The emeralds were just barely an inch and a half long and maybe a half inch wide, and were framed on each side by a small, circular diamond that glistened even in the dim light of the bedroom. They reminded Kim of the ones the African prince had given the girl he liked in that _Going to the U.S._ movie, only these had emeralds that matched her eyes. Kim gasped again, set the box down, and threw her arms around her boyfriend, alternately embracing him one moment and kissing him the next. When they finally pulled back, he that goofy grin again.

"I take it you like them?"

"Ronnie, they're beautiful. How did you ever afford this?"

Ron smiled. "You'd be surprised just how quickly the money adds up when you stop Grande-sizing everything after you've done it every day for the last twelve years."

Kim smiled even more, but then a thought crossed her mind. "Ronnie, how much did you spend? You said this was the smaller part of the present, and these had to cost a fortune."

He put a finger to her lips. "Don't worry about that, I've got it all taken care of. Now, what does my beautiful, bon-diggity girlfriend want for dinner tonight?"

Kim thought for a moment. "How about some juicy ribs? With some Chez Ron barbecue sauce."

Ron smiled. "Sounds good. Any special requests for sides?"

Kim grinned. "I want the full rib place experience. Butter rolls, twice-baked potatoes with cheese, and buttered corn-on-the-cob so sweet and juicy it falls off in your mouth. Oh, and that tea you can only get down South that's so sweet you think every drink might give you cavities."

Ron laughed about the tea description before leaning in and kissing her again. "No problem, KP."

With that, he got up and went to prepare the dinner, shutting the door behind him. Kim stared at the gorgeous pieces sitting there against the white satin of the jewelry box. True, he had stopped Grande-sizing completely in recent weeks, as well as working several double shifts at Smarty Mart, but there was no way he would be able to afford how much these things had to have cost. But what made Kim even more curious was that this was the smaller part of what he had planned for her. True, these earrings were the actual birthday present, but after these, what in the world could he possibly afford?

She slowly got out of bed, mindful of what she'd done Monday morning. The back support was still sitting on the nightstand, but Kim was so happy to be free of it she disregarded that idea almost immediately. She grabbed her light blue tank top and white capris, slipped them on, and then picked up the red velvet box and opened it again to once more gaze at the gorgeous earrings. Even holding them there in her hands, she still couldn't believe they were hers, or that Ron had been the one to give them to her. She closed the box slowly and placed it in a sacred spot on her dresser before taking a deep breath and emerging into the living room. The only one she found there was her father, who was reading the paper and simply smiled at her.

_Perfect_, she thought with a smile. There was something she needed to ask him.

"Morning, Kimmie-cub. Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks Daddy," she replied as she gave him a big hug. "Uh, listen, can I talk to you for a second?"

He set his paper down. "Sure, honey. What's on your mind?"

She shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the kitchen where she knew Ron was. "Well, I'd actually prefer it if we could talk somewhere more private."

Her father immediately gulped. "Oh…uh, sure," he stammered as he led her out to the back porch. "Now, then. What's up?"

Kim plopped down on a glider bench. "Well, I was wondering if we could talk about that trust account thing."

James Possible visibly relaxed as he breathed a sigh of relief. Much as he hated to admit it, his daughter was growing up, and he had been just slightly afraid she was about to ask about certain things he wasn't ready to discuss with a girl he still had a hard time not seeing as four years old and barely at his waist. Thankfully, her chosen topic was something he was much more comfortable with.

"What about it?" he asked as he pulled one of the deck chairs over to face her.

"How much is in it?"

James put a hand to his chin. "Well, Kimmie-cub, do you want to know how much is in there all together, or how much of it you currently have access to right now?"

Kim shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I mean, I know it's a lot, but I'm not sure I want to know just how much it is."

Having an unusual moment of clarity when it came to his daughter, James smiled. "Does this have something to do with those earrings Ronald gave you for your birthday?"

Kim looked at him in surprise. "How'd you know about those?"

James shrugged. "Well…uh…he…he showed them to me the other day. Wanted to know if I thought you'd like them." _Well, that was at least halfway to the truth._

Kim eyed him pointedly. "Daddy, what aren't you telling me?"

James smiled. "Nothing that you don't already know, Kimmie-cub. And besides, weren't you asking about the trust fund?"

Kim sighed. "I love the earrings, but I know he had to dip into his own trust fund to pay for them. There's no way he could have found the money otherwise, even if he did stop Grande-sizing like he said. And he also told me that they're only half of what he got me. I'm worried he's gone into 'Ron Millionaire' mode where he thinks he has to buy expensive stuff to impress me. And I don't know how to tell him that he spent too much on me without hurting his feelings."

Her father got up from his chair to sit beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Kimmie-cub, that boy loves you, and I'm pretty sure he's had those earrings in the works for a while. Why, I'll bet he started saving for them back at the end of November when the two of you saw them at _Tamara's_."

Kim gasped as she realized she had completely forgotten about that day. She had been Christmas shopping with Ron and had been looking for a present for her mother. Knowing her mother liked simple gold necklaces, she had entered _Tamara's Jewelry_ to see if there was something she could afford. There on top of one of the cases had been one of those steel gray mannequin heads wearing the exact same earrings she now had sitting on the dresser in her room. She remembered how she had gazed longingly at them even after seeing the high price tag, before finally moving over to the necklace case. Ron had hung back from her a bit before coming over to stand at her side while she looked through the simple gold necklace chains. He had claimed he had to get used to the atmosphere of being in a jewelry store, but she had a hundred bucks that said he'd been formulating how to get them for her from that moment. Considering that, it might have been possible to do it like he said. But there was still the matter of Friday night's surprise.

"But Daddy, even if he did save for them since then, it would break his checkbook."

James smiled again at his daughter as he sighed. "Kimmie-cub, if I tell you how much you've got, you've got to promise me you won't go bugging Ron about how much is in his."

Kim blinked a few times. "Can you at least give me a rough estimate?"

James shook his head. "To tell the truth, I don't really know his exact balance myself, just that it's large."

Kim sighed. "Okay. What's mine at?"

James scratched his chin. "Well, when I checked it last night, you currently have access to $2500.00 and your complete total is near $15.5 million. Of course that doesn't include the future royalty payments Bueno Nacho has to make or the interest on everything."

Kim's mouth dropped open. "Wha…what?" she squeaked.

Her father smiled. "A nickel for every salad they sell adds up pretty quick, Kimmie-cub."

Kim couldn't wrap her head around it. "So…so Ron's…Ron's account…"

James looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. "All I'll say is think about how many Hablamos Salads you see going out compared to how many Nacos you see being ordered. Then add in all the ones that have been sold since they sent Ronald that first royalty check."

Kim couldn't believe her ears. "So what you were saying that night…about us never having to work…that was true?"

James smiled at his daughter. "Now, Kimmie-cub, just because you don't have to work doesn't mean you shouldn't. Part of what makes my life so great, apart from you, your mother, and your brothers, is that I get to go do a job I love every day. I can count myself one of the luckiest people in the world because I'm doing what I want to for a living. To tell the truth, I'd probably be a rocket scientist even if it paid minimum wage, just because I get to have the job I've always wanted."

Kim smiled. "Uh, Daddy, what if I don't know what I want to do?"

Her father shook his head. "Not sure I know what you mean there, Kimmie-cub."

Kim sighed. "Well, Ron knows he wants to be a gourmet chef, Monique wants to be a fashion designer, Felix is going for something in medicine and robotics, and Tara's going to chase her singing career. Even Wade knows that once the missions dry up he's going to go into something with technology and computers. I just feel lost in the shuffle. I mean, I'm good at a lot of things, but nothing really specifically catches my interest."

James nodded. "Ahh, I see what you mean. Well, all I can tell you is to follow your heart. Nothing says you have to have a major picked out the minute you walk through the doors at college. Maybe you'll even find out what you want to do while taking your basics. That's what Robert Chen did."

Kim looked at her father with wide eyes. "Professor Chen didn't know what he wanted to do from the start?" Her father's Chinese colleague was such a natural at his chosen field of Astronomy that Kim had figured he'd always been into it.

Her father laughed. "Nope. That's actually the reason he's a little older than the rest of our group. He had no clue what he wanted to do, other than it would have to do with science, so he just started taking every beginning elective he could find. Then he took the M.I.S.T. Introduction to Astronomy class, and became instantly hooked on it. Went from "Can't Choose Chen" to Chen the Astronomer almost overnight. So don't worry about yourself. You're young, and you've still got plenty of time to figure out what you want to do. The only thing I will say is don't knock anything out of the running until you seriously look at it."

"Thanks Daddy," she said as she hugged her father. As they walked back into the house, Kim breathed a sigh of relief. If someone as focused and successful as Professor Chen had trouble picking a major at first, then she herself had nothing to worry about.

"Hey, Mr. Dr. P, could you run to the store for me?" called Ron from the kitchen.

"I can do it, Ronnie," Kim replied.

"Nope, not gonna happen, KP," Ron said as he stuck his head into the living room. "You're the birthday girl here, and before I let you pick up the supplies for your own dinner I'll go myself." He turned to her father. "Are you up for it?"

James nodded. "Sure thing, Ronald. Just give make sure the list you give me says exactly what you want. Anne's always been the one who does the shopping for our family."

Ron nodded, and then produced a list held between his wrists. His hands were covered in spices and other ingredients that Kim recognized as the beginnings of his own signature barbecue sauce.

Kim grumbled good-naturedly, and then plucked the about-to-fall list from her boyfriend's wrists, using the opportunity to steal a quick kiss from him. Then she turned to hand the list to her father, who had turned around and was looking through his lab coat pockets for his keys. He smiled as he finally found them, and then turned and took the offered list out of his daughter's hand. Grinning, he headed out the door, leaving the two teens alone.

"Oh, by the way, Kim. Monique called while you two were outside. Wants to meet you at the mall for some 'girl-time'. She also said to make sure you bring the earrings, cause she wants to see 'em."

Kim frowned a bit. "But, Ronnie, that'll mean you're hear all alone. Besides, I want to be near my boyfriend on my birthday."

Ron laughed. "KP, I love you, and I would love to give you that, but if you think I'm letting you inside this kitchen today you are sadly mistaken. Besides, after the party tonight my parents and yours are taking Hana and going out."

Kim cocked an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "How'd you swing that one?"

Ron didn't answer for a moment, but Kim heard a sizzling sound from the kitchen, so she let it go. When he did answer, there was a definite cheer to his voice.

"Actually, KP, since I figured I'd be in here most of the day, I told them I wanted to spend some time with you so I was probably going to take you out tonight. Dad suggested we stay here after the party while they all go out, your mom agreed, and then they convinced my mom and your dad that it was better that we be here than out somewhere since they don't know what we have planned."

Kim grinned at the thought of having the house to themselves for a few hours. The talk with her mom a few days earlier had convinced her they weren't ready to go all the way, but there were other ways to have fun with your boyfriend that normally weren't done in the presence of one's parents. In particular, she wanted to recreate the scene that had taken place a little over an hour and a half earlier in her bedroom, though maybe take it a little further. There were also certain things she wanted to do to Ron, things she'd only read about in magazines.

"Fine, Ronnie. I'll just wait until then to open my other birthday present," she said with a sexy wink. Then she turned and walked towards her room, deliberately exaggerating her hip movement for him. In just a few minutes, she emerged, the new earrings hanging daintily from her earlobes.

As he watched her go, Ron couldn't help but smile to himself. Just the saving for the earrings had nearly put his checking in the red, to the point he almost couldn't afford another important purchase and had nearly passed on them. However, the addition of the new royalties he was receiving had changed that, ensuring that he could not only get buy his girlfriend the earrings she wanted but also that he wouldn't have to settle and could get exactly what he had pictured in his mind. He still felt bad about deceiving her about the previous Friday night, but the dinner discussion that night had been worth it. The results of that night also meant that he could proceed with what he'd been planning for close to four months now.

As he returned to his cooking and prep, he started whistling a tune. It was the song that had played at the Junior Prom the first time they kissed as boyfriend and girlfriend. It was the same song that Kim had put as her ringtone when he called, just as he had for her on his cell phone. He normally didn't like to perform it, but it was a special song, and certain events would soon make the song true. And if things went as he wanted them too, it would be played in a few years as they danced.

* * *

"Girl, those are gorgeous. How'd he afford them?" Monique's eyes were bugging at the sight of Kim's earrings as they sat in the food court sipping their smoothies, the bags from their shopping sitting at their feet.

Kim laughed. "You didn't notice what size he's been getting at Bueno Nacho for the past six months?"

Monique blinked. "That boy gave up Grande-sizing for you?"

Kim nodded. "Yep. I'm as surprised as you."

At that moment, they heard a voice that was about as welcome to Kim as being told Nana Possible had sent her another dress.

"Nice earrings, K. Stoppable win them out of a Smarty Mart quarter machine for you?"

Kim seethed, but Monique placed a hand over hers to calm her down before challenging the leggy brunette herself.

"Actually, Bonnie, Ron bought those for her from _Tamara's_."

The girl let out a laugh. "Are you kidding me? The Loser bought those from an actual jewelry store?"

"That's right, Bonnie. What's the last thing Junior bought you?"

In one of the strangest twists Kim had ever seen, her high school rival Bonnie Rockwaller had hooked up with the younger of the Seniors, a father-son tandem who had so much money they thought of villainy as a hobby. Or at least the elder one did. Kim and Ron had never been able to get a true bead on Señor Senior, Jr.'s intentions. All the son seemed interested in conquering were the pop charts, even though he couldn't sing worth a lick. However, the night of graduation, it had been revealed that Junior was simply going through late puberty, meaning his voice hadn't settled down yet, and he might have a decent voice once it did. Ron had then made the offhand joking comment that it would be funny if some day their daughter was a fan of the great pop star Señor Senior, Jr., causing Kim to merely shake her head.

Bonnie flipped her hair. "Actually, he took me to Cozumel this weekend. Where do you think I got this fabulous tan?"

Monique couldn't resist a dig. "Bet that tan's gonna fade pretty quickly while you're stuck in summer school this year."

Bonnie glared at the girl, the animosity between the two readily apparent. Bonnie didn't even have a passing interest in a friendship Monique, and the feeling was completely mutual. Several times during their high school career, Kim had wondered what would have happened if the two had ever managed to completely tick each other off.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Regardless, there's no way a loser like Stoppable would ever be able to afford those. They cost over a thousand dollars. The only way he could even come close to that would be if he got another Naco royalties check from Bueno Nacho, but he'd blow it again in a heartbeat, just like last time."

Kim and Monique exchanged glances. Kim had told Monique not thirty minutes earlier about the royalties both she and Ron were now going to be receiving from the Tex-Mex eatery, and Kim was just itching to put the brunette in her place and reveal the information.

"D.D.I., girl," warned Monique in a hushed whisper. "She ain't worth it."

Kim knew her BFF was right she shouldn't do it, knew that revealing the information would be sinking to Bonnie's level, but she wanted a shot at her rival. It wasn't just that Ron was financially worth a lot more now than he had been then, or the fact that she herself was now worth more than the entire Rockwaller family. It wasn't even that they were out of school and no longer confined by the rules of high school. No, what had Kim really wanting to put Bonnie Rockwaller in her place was that the snarky brunette had never once had a single from-the-heart kind thing to say about or to Ron. Even the times he rescued the entire Middleton cheer squad, which included Bonnie, from Gill's traps at Camp Wannaweep, her gratitude had always come out forced, as if she was getting sick simply by saying them.

"I'm serious, girl, D.D.I. She's not worth it," Monique whispered again.

Kim forced a smile. "I know it, Monique, but I have to."

"Actually, Bon-Bon, he did," Kim sniped, knowing the use of Ron's nickname for the brunette would further anger her. "Ron did get another royalty check for Nacos from Bueno Nacho. And so did I, for suggesting the Hablamos Salads. And for the rest of our lives, we're going to get paid by them. While you're struggling to make ends meet, me and Ron will be able to do what we want and have the careers we want, regardless of what they pay, because we are now both set for life. So who's the real loser in this equation?" With that, she turned back towards Monique and acted as if her rival had never shown up.

Bonnie stood there for a moment, her mouth agape. Her lips moved as if she were trying to say something, but no words came out. Finally she turned and walked off as if in a daze. Watching her go out of the corner of her eye, Kim couldn't help but feel awkward.

"Feel better?" Monique asked with a look reminiscent of Kim's mother when she disapproved of something.

Kim sagged. "Not really. I've been waiting to do that to her since she first called me Tin Teeth when I was thirteen, but now I feel like…"

"Like you sunk to her level. Cause that's what you just did, girl."

Kim banged her head on the table. "What in the world is happening to me? I mean, a week ago, I was fighting to seriously injure Adrena Lynn, and now I'm letting Bonnie draw me into playing her game with her rules."

Monique shrugged. "Maybe graduating opened our eyes to some things and closed them to others."

Kim sat up, rubbing her forehead. "Yeah, but they say we're growing up. Feels like I just took a step back about five years."

"Don't know, girl. But about tonight at your party. Anything special happening?"

Kim shook her head. "Not really. Just a few friends coming over; that and Ron's putting together a spankin' feast."

Monique licked her lips. "So your beau's cooking huh? The things that boy can do in the kitchen would make anybody wish he'd cook their birthday dinner, maybe even bring it to her in bed."

Kim grinned. "Monique, don't get any ideas. Ron's already taken."

Monique laughed. "Like I'd even think about trying to take him from you. To tell the truth, I'm surprised he hasn't already P.T.Q. like Felix did with Zita?"

Kim blinked. "Are you serious?"

Monique nodded. "Yep, they are now officially engaged. She showed it to me the other day when I dropped by the movie theater. Pretty good size skating rink on that finger, if you ask me. Wouldn't mind having someone give me one that size."

Kim sighed. "Yeah, it'd be nice if the diamond is a good size, but to be honest I couldn't care less if Ron gave me one with a stone the size of a pin head."

Monique gasped. "So you know he's going to ask?"

Kim smiled. "No. I want him to of course, and I know he will eventually, but I just don't think he's ready to take that step just yet."

* * *

The party that night went off without a hitch. Kim was pleasantly surprised by the event. All she'd really expected was dinner with the two families and a few friends, but her and Ron's parents treated it like an actual party, stating a girl only turned 18 once. The Stoppables turned their back yard into a restaurant with space for dancing, while Ron's food was set up buffet-style and at the top of its game, and he had even thought ahead, preparing a large cheese ball that would keep even Rufus occupied. The Tweebs were both generally well-behaved, though Kim suspected one or both of her parents might have had something to do with that. Even Hana chose that night to stay off the walls and the ceiling.

The guests started arriving around 5:30, just as the smells of Ron's cooking managed to fill the house and start filtering out the windows. Monique and Wade were the first to arrive, and Kim noticed they were walking a bit closer than they normally did. Felix and Zita were next, and Kim had to agree with Monique about the size of ring Felix had given the Hispanic beauty. It wasn't particularly large by any means, but it was certainly a lot more than most of them could easily afford without having saved for most of their lives. Tara and Marcella arrived soon after, both with new boyfriends, causing Kim to shake her head slightly. The two girls went through boyfriends like most people went through fashion trends, although Kim did notice that both were dating guys that weren't the total hotties they'd been obsessed with in high school. Marcella's date even looked like one of the guys that had been considered a nerd before they graduated.

During dinner, there were several compliments of Ron's feast, though he passed it off as saying his cooking was a thousand times better when he was cooking for Kim, which caused her to blush and garnered quite a few calls that her father gave a questioning eye to. Of course there were the traditional toasts, one done by James Possible and one done by Ron. Jim and Tim also added a short film collage they'd made, and Kim was both touched and relieved that they left out some of the more embarrassing pictures they'd taken of her over the years, even if they did add that one of her with her face covered in Noxzema and drooling toothpaste. After dinner, Kim's mother brought out the red velvet cake, which turned out to be a big hit. Then Jim and Tim set up shop with a DJ table and everyone enjoyed some dancing. There was great applause when Ron pulled out all the stops in a ballroom dance with Kim, and several good-natured complaints that he'd done it without losing his pants. All in all, Kim couldn't remember a more perfect party.

As the guests began departing around 8:00, she got more and more excited, though she did her best to hide it. After they cleaned up the backyard, which took maybe fifteen minutes with eight people working on it, Jim and Tim took off for the mall to meet up with some friends, while Kim's parents and Ron's parents took off for the rest of the evening. Kim overheard her father talking to Ron before they left, and based on the way Ron was acting, she had a pretty good idea what the talk was about. She also overheard both her mother and Ron's father telling Ron that they wouldn't be back before 11:00 that night, and that the Tweebs were under direct orders to do the same. Even Rufus was out of the picture, having headed up to Ron's room to get in some quality Everlot time. That meant that Kim had Ron all to herself for at least two and a half hours.

As they headed into the house, she silently closed and locked the back door. Ron heard the click, and was about to say something when he turned and saw the look on Kim's face. He'd known for several years that she could look sexy when she wanted to, but this surpassed anything he'd ever seen before. Her eyes were halfway lidded, and she was staring up at him like she saw nothing but him.

"Uh, KP, what are you doing?"

"Shhh," she replied with a finger on his lips. "Ronnie, I don't know what I want to do, but I do know what I don't want to do. No talking, no television. Just you and me."

With that, she slinked sexily over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pausing with her lips mere inches from his. He of course got the hint, and enveloped her in a loving embrace. Slowly they began working their way towards Kim's room while they locked lips and kept the contact. Their kiss was slow and passionate, initially starting with lips closed but quickly progressing. Their tongues were soon performing an intricate dance with each other, probing and twisting and massaging the inside of each other mouths. Their hands were all over each other, and they were pressed up so tight against each other they could feel everything the other was hiding under their clothes.

That level of separation didn't last long once they were in Kim's room though, as first Kim's dress and then Ron's shirt hit the floor. They quickly re-embraced and resumed kissing, although Ron started throwing in kisses to Kim's neck and shoulders, making her gasp in surprise and pleasure. However, when she kissed him on the neck while unbuckling his belt, he jumped back in surprise.

"Ronnie?" she asked, completely confused.

"KP, what are we doing?" he asked, a look in his eyes she could only describe as frightened in his eyes.

"Huh?" replied Kim, looking at him as though he had just asked her the world's most obsolete _Fearless Ferret_ trivia question.

"KP, I do want to make out with you, but this feels, I don't know, too fast?"

Kim looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean, Ronnie?"

He sat on the bed and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Kim, look at us. We're here alone at my parents' house, for all intents and purposes your parents' house as well, we've been alone all of ten minutes, and you're already down to your underwear and my pants are undone. This isn't us?"

Kim suddenly felt very naked and exposed. "So you're saying that you'd rather be somewhere else, is that it?"

Ron shook his head. "Yes…I mean, no…I don't know. I feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

Kim sat down in the chair in front of the vanity their fathers had moved in for her to use. She wrapped her arms around herself, covering her chest. Taking a deep breath, she everything she could to keep the tears starting to sting her eyes from being seen.

"Ronnie, I want you. You're not taking advantage of me if I want it."

Ron got up and walked over to her. "Kim," he began, placing his hands comfortingly on her shoulders, but she twisted away and huddled even more into herself. She looked like a girl lost, not the strong, confident Kim Possible he knew.

"KP, I'm just saying this doesn't feel right, that's all. If you couldn't feel it while we were kissing just now, I want you too. But not like this, not when we're basically sneaking around behind our parents' backs. I know they left us here alone so we could have some us time, but somehow I don't think they pictured us spending it like this."

Kim had to admit he was right, but it still hurt how quickly he'd refused. Still, she turned to him with a smile. "I guess not, Ron, but I still want to do more than just make out and massage each other. I mean, what about this morning, and what we did then?"

Ron smiled and lifted her into a hug. "KP, I never said I didn't want to do that. I just don't want to rush things between us. I mean, it took fourteen years for me to tell you how I felt and for us to get together. And everything since then has happened so fast, I'm just afraid we're going to burn out if we keep moving so fast. I mean…"

Kim silenced him with a kiss. This one wasn't as hot and heavy as the one they'd been engaged in a few moments ago, but there was more love behind it.

"In that case, Ronnie, why don't you wait outside on the couch for a minute?" she said with a sly grin.

"Booyeah," he replied with a smile, kissing her once more before exiting into the living room.

As he sat down on the couch, Ron couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing in refusing Kim's advances. His mind was at war with itself and with his heart. There was no doubt he wanted to make love with her, and had he'd not known they were probably about to do something that would heat his normal teenage blood, he would have definitely needed a cold shower in the near future. As it was, he had a smile on his face, thinking about the coming Friday night.

* * *

a/n

To those expecting a certain event, your wait is almost over. I just didn't want to cheapen it by rushing it with the little amount of words I had left. And as always, reviews are always welcome. :)


	13. Chapter 13

A/N

Chapter 13 is up and running!

Kim surprises Ron with a little something, leading to a bit of birthday fun.

Shego and Drakken face a pronouncement neither of them is ready for.

A planned outing for the Possibles and Stoppables leads to a few unexpected revelations.

Kim and her girlfriends enjoy a relaxing day at the spa.

Xander and June are forced to change their plans.

And then it's time for a very special night out for Kim and Ron, which leads to some revealing talks between their parents.

Ready or not, here's the sitch!

And now for the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

As he sat down on the couch, Ron couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing in refusing Kim's advances. His mind was at war with itself and with his heart. There was no doubt he wanted to make love with her, and had he'd not known they were probably about to do something that would heat his normal teenage blood, he would have definitely needed a cold shower in the near future. As it was, he had a smile on his face, thinking about the coming Friday night.

However, thoughts of two days from now immediately flew out the window when Kim emerged from her room in the last outfit Ron had expected. It had been a while since he had seen Kim in it, but there was no mistaking that purple, red, and gold look of the classic uniform of the Middleton High cheer squad. Ron felt himself staring like a goof at her, but he couldn't help it. He also couldn't help but notice that she once again had that sexy look that said she wanted only him.

"So what do you think, Ronnie?" she purred demurely.

"Badical, KP," he replied, trying to keep himself from drooling. "But do you mind if I ask why you chose that outfit?"

Kim blushed. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Ron nodded, still unable to take his eyes off of her. One thing about Kim wearing the classic cheer uniform instead of the new ones the squad had worn their senior year was that it fit her a little more snugly that it had when she used to wear it, accentuating every single one of the curves that it clung to.

"Because I wanted to know what it would be like to kiss you while wearing it," she said with a shy smile.

Ron scratched his head. "But KP, you kissed me several times while wearing that."

Kim smiled as she advanced on him. "On the cheek maybe. But not like this."

With that she put her hands on the side of his face and took his lips in a kiss that Ron was sure qualified as "knock-your-socks-off" hot. As they kissed, Kim maneuvered herself so that she was straddling his lap. Her hair fell around their faces, enclosing the make out session in a darkened tent, though neither could see it with their eyes closed. When they came up for air, Kim's cheer top came off, revealing that she'd changed into a bra that was still black but now quite lacy. Ron's arms wrapped around to the small of Kim's back and began gently massaging. Kim leaned back into his touch, letting her head loll backwards as she enjoyed the sensual rubbing. After a few moments like that, she leaned back in, this time kissing her boyfriend's neck.

This time, Ron didn't pull away, and instead relished the moment. This didn't feel too fast, but more like something like this was supposed to feel. Pulling one hand forward, he gently leaned her head back and repaid her neck kisses with ones of his own, making Kim squirm with pleasure. His ministrations to her neck were slower, but he kept at it longer, paying special attention to certain spots. He had learned back during their first ever make out session their first summer together that Kim liked certain spots a lot more than others, places like just below her ears, at the curve where neck met shoulders, and just above the dip in her collarbone. When he went after those places with his lips and his tongue now, she gasped and shivered.

Ron pulled back. "Something wrong, KP?"

Kim shook her head, her breathing just a little heavier than normal. "You know, we're really gonna have to work on you and knowing when I'm cold and when I'm enjoying myself."

Ron laughed a bit. "Sounds badical, KP. When do you suggest we do that?"

She answered him with another long, sensuous kiss that literally made his toes curl. The rest of the night was spent like that, just kissing and massaging each other. Kim's bra never left the equation, although there was plenty of touching after she guided Ron's hands over her heart again. Kim was slightly surprised how natural Ron seemed at it, but decided to squirrel away the information for later discussion. After all, she didn't want to spoil the mood when they were both enjoying themselves and each other so much.

They finished up shortly before their parents arrived home, giving Ron enough time to put his shirt back on and Kim just enough time to change into a t-shirt and capris. Kim had just gotten settled back on the couch and was cuddling up to Ron's side when the adults walked through the door. Her father took one look at them and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, though her mother did ask Kim a little later why the two teens were wearing different clothes than they had been when the party ended.

"Oh, we just wanted to be more comfortable," Kim replied while trying to hide a giggle.

Her mother merely smiled.

* * *

Shego had never felt so scared of such a clean room. She was still at the Caribbean Island lair, and as such was still technically home, but she couldn't have felt more out of place. The paper on the bench was uncomfortable, and the posters on the wall made her feel completely unnerved. She took some small comfort in the fact that Drakken was there as well, but only a small amount. The blue-skinned guy looked like he might be more suited to a skin color closer to her own natural green tint, and wasn't so much standing there as leaning against the bench she was sitting on. Of course, they had reason to be nervous. Home tests were one thing when it came to making you sweat, but the test they were waiting on the base medic to return with was nothing short of nerve-wracking.

Shego looked down at the gown she was wearing, wishing she could be in her familiar harlequin-patterned green and black jumpsuit. In that outfit, even if it was the outfit she'd once worn as a goody-goody member of Team Go, she was a force to be reckoned with and could handle any situation that was thrown at her. In this, she felt lost and insecure. At least Drakken was still wearing his dark-blue lab coat, giving her some sense of normalcy in a room that seemed like it was worlds apart from their normal lives. Looking over at him, she took notice of something she hadn't before.

Drakken had always seemed sort of imposing in his own way, as if he really could do anything if he could ever get completely focused on it. However, the past few weeks, Shego had begun to notice little things that stuck out at her, and not just that cute little flower on the end of the vine that protruded from the back of his neck. Said appendage was currently waving lazily at her, almost as if it was determined to give her the reassurance that its owner could not at the moment. Shego smiled, and found herself wondering if that little flower, which he seemed to be able control so deftly the past few weeks, could do certain things that would make her blush…

"Shego, are you okay?" Drakken asked, breaking into her thoughts.

Shego growled a little under her breath. "I told you to call me Sheila when we're doing something like this. Shego is my professional name. And why do you ask?"

Drakken glanced down, a nervous look on his face. "Umm…you're blushing."

Shego blinked in embarrassment. She hadn't even realized her thoughts were making her actually blush, but now that she did, she felt her cheeks growing even hotter. She couldn't even tell whether she was doing it because she was embarrassed or because he had noticed it.

"Just thinking. What are we going to do if it turns out I am?"

"If you're what?" he said with a clueless look.

Shego sighed. "If I'm pregnant. You know, the whole reason we're in here?"

"Oh," he replied as he turned his head. "Well…um…I think we might need to talk about it, but beyond that…" He seemed to be fumbling for what to say while trying to stop himself from saying something that would get him blasted. To Shego, it made him look very funny, though not in a bad way like it usually would.

Shego shook her head. "What I mean, Dr. D., is what does it mean for us?"

Drakken gulped. "Well, I still want to keep doing like we've been. I mean, I do really like you, and all. And…well…"

Shego smiled a little. "I just don't want to mess this up."

"Me either, Sheila," he said as he clasped her hand.

At that moment, the base medic came in the room. They both looked at him with anxious yet worried eyes.

"Dr. Drakken, Miss Shego, I have the results. And you're test was right. You're pregnant."

It was hard to tell who fainted first, Drakken or Shego.

* * *

Friday morning started off on a sour note at the Stoppable/Possible house. Ron was again cooking breakfast, and was intending to make some French toast for everybody. However, he didn't notice that the eggs that Kim's father had grabbed were expired, and the smell sent everybody running. The house would need to be aired, particularly the kitchen, so it was decided they'd all head over to the Middleton Mile-High Café, a local eatery that served all three meals, for breakfast. They piled into three cars and headed off. Kim's parents and brothers were in her mom's minivan, Ron's parents and Hana took his dad's Cutlass, and Kim and Ron were in the Sloth. Unfortunately, Gene Stoppable's Cutlass was almost two years older than Ron, and as such was starting to have major problems. The elder Stoppable had had several repairs done recently, but the car finally bit the dust halfway between the house and the restaurant.

Since Ron's parents had decided to be the last car in the caravan, it took a few minutes before the other members of the group realized something was wrong. They turned around and headed back, finding Gene waving at the smoke spewing up from underneath the open hood of the vehicle. After several minutes, during which all nine stomachs were beginning to growl, it was decided that they'd have to get it towed. The tow-truck showed up about a half-hour later, and someone had to follow it. However, since they were all one party, a few seating arrangements had to be changed. Hana's car seat had to be installed in Anne's minivan so that her parents could ride with her, while the Tweebs were bumped over to the Sloth. James tried insisting that the kids go ahead to the restaurant and get something to eat, but Kim and Ron were both firm in their stand that the two families needed to eat together.

However, the stay at the repair shop took much longer than it should have, mainly because the mechanic kept trying to get the authorization for repairs and other car fixes that Gene Stoppable felt were completely unnecessary. Ron's father might be normally easy-going and calm, but one thing he absolutely not stand for was when any sort of repairman tried to take him to the cleaners by adding in extra jobs and tasks. It took both his wife and his son to calm him down to the point that he was once again able to be civilized with the mechanic and work out a fair deal on the repair bill. Jean brought up the idea that it might be cheaper to just buy another car, but her husband wouldn't hear of it, insisting that once they got the current repairs done the vehicle would run for at least another ten years. Jim and Tim took one look at the vehicle, or rather Tim did, and were about to pronounce him wrong when they caught a look from Kim.

"Kim, I'm serious," Tim remarked as they finally got back underway to the restaurant, "if Ron's dad thinks that car's going to run for any longer than another 500 miles without breaking down again, he needs to get his eyes checked."

Ron sighed. "Tim, you know that, Jim knows that, I know that, Kim knows that, my mom knows that, but my dad's the one who won't give that car up. Sometimes I think he must have proposed to Mom in that thing, or that I was conceived there."

"Ron, TMI!" gasped Kim.

"And actually, I don't know that," remarked Jim.

Kim almost hit the brake in surprise. "You mean to tell me that one of you knows something the other doesn't? I thought you both knew about cars. I mean, you worked together on this one."

"Actually," replied Tim, "I did the engine work…"

"I did the work on the electronic and computer systems…" added Jim.

"And we both did the body and cosmetic work," they said in unison.

Kim was about to ask when the Tweebs started to differentiate in their interests when she caught sight of something else. As they pulled into the restaurant and disembarked, they heard a somewhat heated discussion taking place between Ron's parents as they stood next to the Possible minivan.

"I'm just saying that we should start looking, honey," Jean remarked.

"I realize that, dear, but I'm not about to go get some fancy sports car," Gene replied.

"I only brought up James's Jaguar to point out that he bought it less than seven years ago," she retorted.

Anne Possible was trying to get them to stop. "Gene, Jean, maybe you both need to come to some sort of compromise. Besides, the kids are here, and this is supposed to be something for all of us to do in a good mood."

Ron's parents both looked at Kim, Ron, and the twins with sheepish looks on their faces, then turned and smiled at each other. They hugged and kissed, and all nine entered the MMH Café with smiles on their faces. However, the restaurant experience sent the good mood into deterioration pretty quickly. It started with their waitress, who acted from the beginning like she'd rather be anywhere else but at work and took forever to take their order. The food that came out was a far cry from the fabulous fare they would have enjoyed from Ron, with much of it needing to be sent back immediately for reheating, and their drinks ran dry and sat that way for several minutes more than once. Even Rufus, who would normally consume anything and everything, declared his cheese to be dry and hard, although he did still basically devour it as if he were rarely fed and starving. Before they left, James, Gene, and Ron all made their displeasure known to the manager, although it seemed to the three men that the graying gentleman wanted to be there that day even less than the lazy waitress. Needless to say, it was not a happy group who headed back to the Stoppable house.

However, the frame of mind seemed to pick up almost immediately as they walked back into the house. Something about the house, as well as the fact that it was currently occupied by two families who were so close to each other, seemed to lend itself to good moods, and all of them drank it in, despite the still somewhat minor lingering of rotten eggs from the kitchen.

"I think someone just wanted us to appreciate Ron's cooking more than we already did," joked Kim, and nine people laughed. Even Hana let out a few giggles.

Kim's parents both had to leave for work soon after, and Jean decided to take Hana to the park to try and let loose some of the energy the little girl had. Ron's father adjourned to his home office to work on some data he'd been sent, and the Tweebs decided to head to the mall again. Kim had the spa day to get ready for, while Ron claimed he had some shopping and browsing to do. Kim offered to drop him off at his first destination, but he refused, saying he had some things around the house to take care of. As he headed up to his room, Kim got that odd prickling feeling in the back of her mind.

_You're up to something, Ron Stoppable_, she thought as she watched him go.

However, she decided not to press the issue, instead grabbing her bathing suit and bathrobe, as well as a few other items, and heading off in the Sloth to go pick up Tara, Zita, Marcella, and Monique.

* * *

"Girl, this was the best idea you ever had," remarked Monique as she lay on a massage table while a masseuse gradually worked the kinks and stiffness out of her back.

"I agree," added Zita from another table.

The five girls were all taking full advantage of the amenities afforded by the Middleton Day Spa. They had already done seaweed wraps and mud baths, and were now all enjoying a relaxing full body massage. They'd even paid the extra money to get a room to themselves with the massage tables arranged in a star formation so they could all look at each other. All five had contented smiles on their faces.

"So, Zita, how did Felix propose?" asked Tara with a smile.

"He took me up to the bluff at Mount Middleton. Only instead of hiking, he flew me up there with his chair. He had the whole place set up for a picnic, and used his chair's arms to lift him down so he could sit next to me. We ate and talked, and then just as the sun was going down, he pulled out the ring box. At first I thought it was just a normal piece of jewelry he was about to give me, especially since he just gave me the promise ring in March. Then he kind of smiled and asked. I think I must have sat there with my mouth open for a few minutes, because he was like, 'Uh, Zita, you kind of have to answer.' I of course said yes, and then we kissed. It was one of the most romantic moments of my life," she ended with a sigh.

"Wow," sighed Marcella. "I can't wait for something like that to happen to me."

"Gotta find the boy first," laughed Monique.

"Well, from what we've been hearing," the raven-haired beauty replied, "you might have already found him, Monique."

Monique blushed. "Hey, me and Wade are just friends."

Tara giggled. "Sure, just like Kim and Ron are just friends."

"Hey, how'd I get dragged into this?" Kim complained with a smile. "Oooh…a little lower please," she remarked as her masseuse found the spot on her back that was still slightly sore. _Not as good as Ron, but still really good._

Marcella joined in the giggling. "Oh, admit it Kim. We all know he's probably been planning to ask you to marry him since you two got together at Junior Prom."

Kim blushed. "Me and Ron are perfectly fine where we are, thank you. Besides, we tried going a little farther the other night and it didn't work right. Something about the vibe felt wrong to him. So we're going back to our original plan of taking it slow. Besides, I really don't think he's ready to make that kind of commitment yet."

Tara sighed. "I wish I could find a guy like Ron. I kind of wish I'd told him how I felt after he saved us at Wannaweep."

Zita smiled. "To tell the truth, Tara, I know you guys might have had fun, but I think it would have been the same between you two as it was between me and him. We had some stuff in common, but in the end we were just too different. Although, if it weren't for him, me and Felix might not have gotten together."

Marcella grinned. "Hate to say this Zita, but you and Felix together was even more of a foregone conclusion than Kim and Ron. Even Bonnie could see that."

Monique leaned up on her elbows. "Honestly, Marce, I never understood why you were friends with that girl. You just seem so different."

Marcella shrugged. "Well, unfortunately I got caught up in her whole 'food chain' idea. Thankfully I got over that in time to make some really great friends just before graduation. I just can't believe I let her dictate me like that all through junior high and high school."

Tara nodded. "I know what you mean. I think that's one of the reasons that I never asked Ron how he felt about me. I'm not even sure he knew about it."

Kim nodded. "He didn't. Wasn't until you started dating Josh that he had any clue whatsoever."

Monique laughed. "Just as well, isn't it? I think I agree with Zita on this one. You two might have had some fun, but I'm not sure it would have been TDDUP."

Marcella rolled her eyes. "Mon, are you ever going to stop using the acronyms? Why can't you just say, 'Till Death Do Us Part.'?"

The girl shook her head. "It's just my way. Jamal's been trying to stop me from that since I was six, and it hasn't worked yet. I'll probably be doing it in the retirement home."

Tara rose up on her elbows. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind my asking, why didn't you want anyone to know it was just you and him? You even kept it a secret at your Halloween party freshman year."

Zita also looked up. "Yeah. I mean, why tell us now after hiding it for four years?"

Monique glanced down at the cream-colored padding of the massage table. "Well, I guess after graduation I realized it didn't matter where I came from anymore. That, and I knew that people would start asking about my house once everyone started rebuilding. To tell the truth, with the house we were renting gone, me and Jamal don't know what we're going to do. I mean, we appreciate Wade's parents taking us in, but we can't stay there forever. Plus, I didn't want a lot of questions to start popping up when I didn't come home that much once we all head off for college. And you know certain people would have done their best to use it against me."

Marcella shook her head. "Monique, don't even worry about what she thinks. To tell the truth, there's a pool going about when Bonnie's going to come crying home because she no longer has a posse to order around at college. We all think she's in for a rude awakening that first week. If she even goes to college."

Kim looked up in surprise. "Wait, Bonnie might not go to college?"

Tara shook her head. "Nope. I mean, nothing's for sure, but there's a rumor she might do something else, like go after ballet or move in with that boyfriend of hers."

Zita turned her head to look at Kim. "Speaking of moving in, are you and Ron going to do that your freshman year at G.V.U.?"

Kim shook her head. "No way. Like I said, me and Ron are taking it slow. We're going to live in the dorms just like normal freshmen. Besides, can you imagine what my Daddy would say?"

Monique grinned. "Really now. What if Ron proposes tonight on your date? What then?"

Kim blushed. "Like he would do that. I mean, sure, he's been acting a little weird lately…"

Tara jumped on the hesitation. "And you want him to!"

Kim smiled. "Sha, I want him to, but I'm not expecting him to anytime soon. I just don't think he's ready."

The four other girls merely smiled and shook their heads.

* * *

Ron sat the Bueno Nacho, trying to think. Somehow he always did his best thinking in the confines of the Tex-Mex eatery. His only company was still digging into a burrito twice his small, pink size. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small velvet box he'd picked up the Friday before. He almost half-wished he'd taken Kim with him to pick it up, so that the idea he had it wouldn't have been sitting in the back of his mind all week. That wouldn't have been right though, and he wanted more than anything to do this right. No, scratch that: he wanted this to be perfect. He wanted this whole experience to be completely flawless for both of them.

So far, he'd followed every step to the letter. He'd found out what she liked, he'd set up the design, and he'd asked all the right people. He'd even tested the waters on her birthday with the earrings. Not to mention he'd undertaken what he considered the second-most daunting task of this whole process on Friday night when he'd had dinner with just him and a certain person who had a lot of sway on this matter. But even that had gone off without a hitch. In fact, this whole progression had gone way too perfect, if that was even possible. Not a single thing had gone wrong so far, and it scared Ron half to death. There were supposed to be natural hiccups in this course of action, things that didn't go quite right, but so far everything had been proceeding impeccably. And that left him extremely worried about tonight.

Just to be sure he was just being paranoid, he called up Wade on his Kimmunicator.

"Hey, Ron, what's up?"

Ron was the picture of nervous agitation. "Wade, are you sure there's nothing going on right now?"

Wade sighed. "Yes, Ron, I'm sure. I even checked with Global Justice to make sure they aren't going to whisk you two away in high speed tubes. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, tonight Team Possible doesn't exist."

"So there's no way we could possibly get interrupted?"

Wade smiled. "No, Ron, you two are completely off grid tonight. Unless of course the Lorwardians attack again."

"…"

"That was a joke, Ron."

"Not funny, Wade. Not funny at all."

* * *

Xander was completely frustrated, to the point he'd started ranting in his mind like his father often did out loud when one of his schemes failed. The young man had already been through the entire database with the exception of the Zs. Why did his parents keep so many files on people that no longer worked for them? Not to mention, why was it taking so long for the current group to leave the control room? It was then that he caught some of the conversation going on between the two henchmen who sat at the controls.

"Are you serious?" replied Henchman A.

"Yep," replied Henchman B. "Dr. Adamson said they've been in the medic ward since he told them. Evidently they both fainted when they heard the news."

"Huh, so Shego's pregnant by the boss. Well don't that beat all."

"I know," replied B as he took a swig of his coffee. "Just imagine what Zunderson must think of this."

"Lars?" answered A. "I'm sure he ain't happy about it. That pushes him back to fourth for taking over the business."

B laughed. "Ha, yeah if she's only carrying one."

A seemed startled. "You mean she's got more than one?"

B nodded. "Seems that way. Adamson said he didn't say anything to the boss and Shego yet because he's not sure himself, but he's got a hunch it might be twins. Something about the way the ultrasound looked."

Xander tuned out the rest of the conversation. So he and his sister were safe, or at least they were safe in that they now existed. He was just starting to smile when it hit him what else he'd heard: Lars's last name was Zunderson! No wonder he hadn't found it yet. Cursing to himself, he entered the name into the wrist Kimmunicator built into the sleeve of his suit. He then slipped back into the grate he had entered the room from. It was time to move, and they had to move fast. If his parents had already been to the base medic, that meant his mother had already sent the call to Team Possible. It also confirmed that Future Lars was already here.

……………………………………………

Resting on her perch on top of one the high vents, June continued scanning the sea of red jumpsuits while she snacked on yet another energy bar. They'd been at this for five days, and so far no luck. And of course, in that entire time she'd yet to lay eyes on Xander. Granted, he did have several databases to check. Not to mention he also had to employ stealth a lot more than she did. June had been able to find a spot and basically stay still the entire time except to sneak off to a bathroom. Xander was probably having to not only do that, but also keep people from tracing his search. Plus, he was also having to watch for breaks in shifts, since he had the job where one of them was more likely to be seen. However, they had planned it that way, since he had not only the stealth training she had but also the espionage skills he had learned from his mother. June had tried to get her parents to teach her some of the sabotage and infiltration skills they knew, but so far she'd been unsuccessful. Her mother had even told her that, just like life, there was nothing they could teach her mission-wise that field experience wouldn't teach her better and faster.

She was just starting to grumble to herself about it when she felt a tug on her leg. She looked at it and noticed a suction cup similar to the ones their grapplers had. Following the line straight across, she saw Xander lying flat on a ventilation shaft about ten feet away. He was tapping his hood, indicating he wanted to speak over their short-wave radios.

"X, what's up?" she whispered.

"Jules, I found his last name, but it doesn't do us any good now. I just confirmed that the boat outside does indeed belong to the Lars from our time, and that he's most likely already replaced himself. We need to shift focus to that machine."

"Right," she agreed. "But how are we supposed to do that?"

"Don't worry, I've got a plan. Just head outside to Lars's boat. I'll meet you out there and explain everything."

"X, this isn't the time for Lone Ranger acts. We've got be a team here."

Xander nodded. "Right. Which is why we need to discuss this somewhere we can make some noise. I'm not too sure you're gonna like my plan. As a matter of fact, I think you might hate it."

* * *

That afternoon when Kim got home from the spa, she was surprised to find her parents and Ron's parents already home. Even Gene had stopped work early. They all attributed it to being Friday, but she noticed how all four had huge smiles on their faces. She also couldn't help but notice that her own father and mother kept looking at her somewhat strangely. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer, and sought out her mother, finding the other woman at the dining room table with a cup of hazelnut coffee.

"Mom, why do you and Daddy keep looking at me like I'm about to take off for college in about two minutes?"

Her mother smiled. "I don't know what you mean, Kimmie."

Kim's eyebrow raised. "Oh really? Are you sure? Because Daddy keep looking at me like he looked at me the first time I went to school by myself, or the first time I went off on a mission that wasn't just here in the Tri-City area."

Her mother set down her coffee cup but kept the smile. "Kimmie, both of us, your father especially, are just doing our best to start looking at you as an adult instead of a child. I mean, you are eighteen now, right?"

Kim smiled. "I guess so, but it just seems different I guess."

Anne Possible smiled. "Kimmie, if you wanted to, there's a lot of things you could do now and we couldn't stop you anymore. I think that's what has both of us looking at you differently."

"Okay."

Kim knew her mother was being evasive, but realized she wasn't going to get any farther than she had with the discussion, so she decided to put it out of her mind. However, it was still prickling in the back of her mind, especially when she noticed Ron's mother giving her a similar look. As she was about to change for her and Ron's date that night, she found a tented note on her nightstand.

_KP,  
Make sure you wear something beautiful tonight. I want to take you someplace special.  
Ron._

Kim thought that was strange, considering that Saturdays were normally their formal date nights, whereas Fridays were normally relegated to their fun dates like Bueno Nacho and something along the lines of a non-romance movie or bowling. She supposed that maybe Ron had found out he had to work tomorrow night, and wanted to make tonight their romance night. Or maybe he had scored reservations somewhere special tonight and they would have their fun date tomorrow. Whatever it was, she decided to go along with it. She pulled out a dark blue dress she'd worn only a few times, the most notable being during their Bermuda Triangle Club infiltration during the Lil' Diablo scheme, and hung it on the door. She laughed a little as she remembered that night. It was one of the few times she'd gone against a villain, namely Shego, while wearing a dress and not had the dress get damaged. To be fair, the black wig she'd been wearing had gotten toasted by a plasma blast from the woman, but the dress had come out completely unscathed apart from a few stains that were easily removed.

As she headed for the shower, she also noticed the absence of one person: Ron. It confused her a little bit, but she figured he was probably just not back from his errands yet. As she got cleaned up, however, she kept listening for him, but never once heard him come in. She wasn't too worried until she had already exited the bathroom, gotten dressed, and done up her hair, and he still hadn't shown up. Visions of two weeks earlier started to play in her head while she did her makeup, and she knew that any second her Kimmunicator was going to start going off. But even that remained silent. That's when she heard the doorbell ring.

She heard her father answer it and invite someone in. Then her mother poked her head in the door.

"Kim, there's a very handsome young gentleman here to see you."

Kim cautiously poked her head out, and felt her heart catch in her throat. There stood Ron, but the majority of Middleton High most likely wouldn't have recognized the former goofball. He was dressed way past the nines in a charcoal black tuxedo that shone in the light. His hair was combed neatly for perhaps the first time in his life, and he looked like he had shaved no more than an hour earlier, leaving his face completely smooth. Looking down at his feet, she didn't see his customary tennis shoes like he'd worn to the Junior Prom, or even solid colored shoes like he'd worn to the senior year version of the event. Instead, he was wearing black and white spats. When he turned towards her, she noticed a nice, neat bowtie at his throat, and that his shirt had black buttons and looked dazzling white and freshly pressed. All in all, Ron looked absolutely breathtaking to her, more so than he had in the entire time she'd known him. She almost couldn't focus enough to make a mental note to ask him to clean up like this more often.

"Hi," was all she could manage.

"Hi, yourself," he smiled as he came over and placed a loving kiss on her lips. "Ready to go?"

"Uh huh," she stammered, still trying to wrap her mind around how he could look so handsome.

As he escorted her out the door, her arm in his, he turned to wave. Kim couldn't have copied the action to save her life because she was still caught in a hypnotic daze. So she didn't see the thumbs up that both fathers gave him, or that both mothers had tears of joy rolling down their faces. She did of course notice that he insisted on driving the Sloth that night, as well as insisting on being the one to open her door, but she let him. He was obviously pulling out all the stops for some reason, and she was inclined to let him.

As they drove, they talked about random things until finally Kim came to the question she was wanting to ask. "Ron, why'd you switch up the date night? Aren't Saturdays our formal date night?"

Ron smiled. "Normally yes, but I managed to swing reservations without Wade's help this time, and they couldn't fit us in tomorrow. So I decided I treat you like a lady tonight instead."

Kim smiled. "So where are we going?"

Ron grinned. "Chez Couteaux, and before you ask, we're going all out tonight. Anything on the menu goes, even the Filet Mignon and Lobster platter, if you want."

She gasped. "Ron, that thing is almost $50.00 by itself!"

Her boyfriend merely grinned again. "I told you, KP. We're going all out tonight."

When they arrived, they were led to a special table off to the side where they had a very good view of both the scenery outside and the inside of the restaurant. Fridays were also band nights at the high-class restaurant, and the small orchestra was playing some soft jazz and some big band music. There were fresh candles in the holder, and the whole mood seemed absolutely perfect. Even the moon outside was full. And true to his word, Ron pulled out all the stops. They had it all: appetizers, soups, salads, large meals, the works. The entire time they talked about anything, everything, and nothing, just like they normally did. They even gave each other bites off their plates. Kim couldn't remember an eating experience there that had ever been more romantic. However, the biggest surprised was yet to come.

Shortly after their dessert plates were taken away, Ron excused himself for a moment and went to talk to the maître d'. When he came back, he had a grin wider than she'd ever seen.

"Ron, what's going on?" she asked with a smile. "What are you planning?"

"You'll see," he said with a smile.

She looked at him quizzically for a minute. It was then she noticed the band starting up on a very familiar song. At first she couldn't place it, but then they hit the chorus and she knew. The band may have only been doing an instrumental version, but there was no mistaking the song. It was "Could It Be," the song that had brought them to their first official kiss nearly fourteen months earlier. Looking at Ron, she saw nothing but love in those chocolate brown eyes. She also saw him get up and walk over to her side of the table.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

He knelt down and pulled a small, black velvet box out of his jacket pocket.

"Oh…my…god," she said again a little louder, this time feeling a tear escape down her cheek. "Ron, are you about to…?"

"Kim, I've known for some time that you would always be my best friend. No matter what happened, you always had my back, and you let me watch yours as well. You even put a special trust in me, choosing me to be your backup on missions to save the world. Then, just over a year ago, you made me the happiest person in the world when you agreed to become my girlfriend. You make me want to be a better person, more than the slacker goofball I've always been. KP, I love you, and if you'll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life making you just as happy as you make me."

He flipped open the ring box, and the sight took away Kim's breath. Sitting there against white satin was a gold ring. But it wasn't the ring that caused her to gasp. Somehow, Ron had managed to create the perfect ring for her, for sitting on top of the ring was a brilliant square-cut, sparking diamond. It was an inch across on all sides, and surrounded by four rectangular emeralds that matched the earrings that she was wearing. She looked from Ron to the ring and back at Ron. And all she saw was love.

"Kimberly Anne Possible, will you marry me?"

For a moment, the world stood still. Nothing but her, Ron, and the ring. She had held back the tears so far, only letting the one escape, but now they cascaded down her face. There was only one answer she could think of, but for some reason her voice wouldn't say it. It took all of five seconds to find her voice, and when she did she practically screamed her answer.

"YES! I will!"

Ron pulled the ring out the box and slipped it on her left hand ring finger. And then he cemented the moment with one of the most tender, loving kisses they had ever shared.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," she kept repeating over and over again when they parted.

Ron tenderly dabbed the tears away from her eyes, doing his best to keep from smudging her makeup. However, she wouldn't have cared if her mascara and rouge and lipstick all started running. All she knew was the love she saw in those chocolate brown eyes.

The band took up a second rendition of the song, and Ron led Kim out to the dance floor, where they danced much like they had that first night they realized there was more to what they had than just friends, much more than just best friends, even more than just partners in world saving who watched each others' backs. Anyone who saw them dancing that night over a year earlier knew instantly that it was true love, and anyone who saw them dancing now would think any less. There was no question that the strong-willed redhead and the "never be normal" blonde dancing so close and slow belonged together.

* * *

Across town, James Possible sat in the living room looking at the clock. If things had gone the way that Ron had described them when he'd asked the older man to dinner the Friday before, his Kimmie-cub wasn't coming home. In her place would be Kimberly Anne Possible, a young woman who was now the fiancée and future wife of Ronald Eugene Stoppable. The thought made him both overjoyed and sad at the same time. No matter how much he had professed otherwise, no matter how much he'd had to convince Ron that he had his blessing to ask for Kim's hand in marriage, this was still going to be difficult. He knew he still had some time to prepare for the inevitable day when he handed his daughter over to the young man for good, but it still wouldn't leave his mind.

Anne Possible could see the wheels turning in her husband's head. "James, you know she'll always be your little girl."

James sighed. "I know. I just thought I might have more time before this day came."

Anne smiled and took her husband's face in her hands. "Are you saying you wish you hadn't given your okay when Ron asked you if he could marry her?"

James smiled sadly. "No, I'm not saying that. I think I knew from that night they went to Middleton Days that Ron would be the one to snag her heart."

Anne kissed him on the cheek and snuggled up against him. "Jimmy, you do know that what went on with them then was due in large part to that device that was stuck on Kim's neck, right?"

Her husband sighed again. "Yes, but I also saw the look on her face when he dropped her off. It was a mix between relief and crushed. She may have been relieved they didn't spoil their friendship, but I think the fact that it was over before it started that time hurt her pretty bad. To tell the truth, when I saw how fast she fell for that thing, even if she was falling for something fake, it seemed like a rebound. Then after, when she and Ron came by and told us they were going to the Prom together, I think I knew then that she would most likely get her last first kiss from him."

Anne smiled at her husband. "So then what's the problem?"

James shifted a little in his seat. "Well, it's just that I thought…"

Anne kissed him on the cheek. "You thought you might have a little more time before she grew up, huh?"

"Yeah," he replied, a touch of sadness to his voice.

James looked at one of the pictures they'd recovered from the ruins of their house. It was a picture of Kim and Ron just before sixth grade. The kids had their arms around each other and Ron had his other hand in a piece sign. Kim had on a blue shirt with a lighter blue star, and Ron was wearing a red and cream striped shirt. It had been during the Fourth of July barbecue that year, and since Ron's dad was the one manning the barbecue that time, James had been the one to take the pictures. It occurred to her father how Kim hadn't even been looking at him when he had snapped the photo. Instead, she was staring at the goofball best friend standing next to her. Even then, the two kids had possessed a major connection with each other that most people took years to build.

James smiled again, and put his arm around his wife. "At least we know she's going to marry a great guy."

Anne smiled. "Yeah. He really is."

…………………………………………………………………

In another part of the house, a similar discussion was taking place.

"Gene, are you sure that Ronnie's ready for this?" Jean Stoppable said as she paced back and forth.

"Honey, you said it yourself. Ronald feeling that kind of love for anyone makes us both proud, especially since it's for their Kimberly," Gene replied with a soothing smile.

"But he doesn't know the first thing about what it takes to be committed like to someone," his wife countered. "I mean, this is his first serious girlfriend, and the others lasted only one or two days at most."

Gene smiled. "Jeanette, he knows more about what it takes to make that girl happy and take care of her than sometimes even her parents know. Just a few days ago he was the only one who could get her to accept that she needed to wear that back support."

Jean sat on the bed next to her husband. "But what if things change at college. She's very sweet, but she's still just a teenager. I just don't want Ron getting hurt."

Gene shook his head. "Won't happen. I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked.

He gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Because I know what I see. Kimberly looks at our Ronald the same way her mother looks at her father, and the same way you look at me. There is no doubt in my mind that those two are perfect for each other."

* * *

Wade smiled to himself as he looked at the clock. Ron had probably popped the question to Kim already, and there was no way he was about to interrupt them. True to his word, he'd been redirecting everything to other sources. He'd even sent one Camille León sighting in London to Global Justice, even though Kim and Ron would have loved to take another crack at the disinherited heiress turned villain. Now all he was doing was going through their missions lining up rides and information. That's when he saw it.

Once again, he was looking up the info on the request from a Miss Sheila Godfrey who was located somewhere in the Caribbean Islands. Checking the coordinates for where the call for help had come from, Wade did a double-take. No, that couldn't be right. He checked again and came up with the exact same result. It was an island was very familiar to Team Possible. On more than one occasion they had blown up that very location. It had even been the sight of their very first major super villain mission. Now someone there was asking for their help, and Wade had a sneaking suspicion he knew who it was. Typing in the name, he stared at it for a few minutes. Then he deleted some of the letters, bringing him to one conclusion.

_Sheila Godfrey = Shego._

For a reason that was unfathomable to Wade, Shego wanted help from Team Possible's. However, she'd only put it as a "help requested", so it probably wasn't a trap. Whatever was going on, it seemed like it might actually be legit. Wade had stifle a laugh at the looks he imagined on Kim and Ron's faces when they got the mission briefing for this one. Even if they were expecting it to come, it was probably still going to take them by surprise.

* * *

a/n

Yes, it's finally happened. And no I don't mean anything by having it come up in the 13th chapter, it just happened that way.

As always, reviews and comments are welcome. :)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 is up and running!

Kim and Ron find out their parents' reactions to their engagement, and Kim also gets the answers she's been looking for.

Xander reveals the new plan to June, and she's not happy about it.

Shego's having doubts about her plan, but a talk with Lars makes her rethink it. How will Drakken react?

Xander and June come to a sudden realization, and things get a little hairier for them.

Kim and her dad have a heart to heart, leading to some tender moments.

And finally, Kim and Ron start to get back into their normal routine, and get what could be the fateful call from Wade. But first, Monique's got a surprise for them.

And now for the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

For a reason that was unfathomable to Wade, Shego wanted help from Team Possible's. However, she'd only put it as a "help requested", so it probably wasn't a trap. Whatever was going on, it seemed like it might actually be legit. Wade had to stifle a laugh at the looks he imagined on Kim and Ron's faces when they got the mission briefing for this one. Even if they were expecting it to come, it was probably still going to take them by surprise.

As he looked at the screen, Wade couldn't help but ponder something. If his future self had never sent June and Xander to the past, would he himself have tossed this request out the window? After all, Shego and Drakken normally only contacted Team Possible to issue some sort of ultimatum. However, they normally used their professional names, and Shego had of course used what he could only assume was her birth name. Pulling up his database, he entered information into her file, meaning that whenever that name came up in the media it would now alert him to her whereabouts. The more he thought about it, the more his brain hurt, so he let it drop, although he did get a weird image in his mind of a talking version of Rufus with bulging muscles and dressed in blue armor.

* * *

When Kim and Ron arrived home, their parents were waiting in the living room. From their reactions, Kim could tell they had known about the coming night's events before she and Ron had left on their date. Exactly how long they had known was something of a puzzle, but she couldn't have cared even if it did matter. Ron's parents pulled out a bottle of champagne and poured them all glasses, but Kim barely touched hers, instead focusing on the man whose arm she hadn't let go of (except for getting in and out of the car) since they'd left their table at the restaurant. She kept looking down at the ring now encircling her left ring finger, and wondering one question—how did Ron know that square cut was her favorite shape of diamond? She couldn't remember ever once bringing it up to him, especially while they were dating, because she had worried that discussions about that would scare him off or make him think she wanted to move too fast. Then it hit her.

About a week and a half earlier had been the trip over to Wade's house to prepare for the interview with Channel 6 Middleton. After Monique had told her about the "secret" investigation of G.V.U. that Wade was doing, Kim had basically stormed down the stairs to the young man's computer lab intending to give both Ron and Wade a piece of her mind. However, just before she entered the room, she had stopped, intending to calm down and have the discussion peaceably. However, she had heard them talking about her online diary and her blog, and had decided instead to listen. She'd heard Ron mention something about the cameras Wade had installed for emergencies, as well mentioning that she liked to look at catalogs. At the time, she hadn't made the connection, but now she realized Ron had been referring to the jewelry catalogs she'd been looking at, many of which contained sections on rings. Also, her boyfriend had mentioned specifically that without another Naco royalty, he would have to wait longer and he didn't want to do that.

Kim of course had heard enough by then, and had barreled in assuming they were discussing G.V.U., the college catalogs she'd been perusing, and Ron's admission into those colleges. She'd also assumed that what he wanted to give her was bad news concerning his starting college. Looking back now, she realized that what Ron had really been wanting to know was what kind of diamond she liked, and that he wanted to give her this ring before they started college. Giggling to herself, she realized that was probably also what the two had been discussing later that night when they emerged while she was talking to Monique's brother, Jamal, and that was probably also the reason Ron had wanted to talk to his dad in private the night they found out about the new royalty payments they were now both getting. Everything she had been worried about where Ron's erratic behavior was concerned had been explained in a single wonderful night. She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

Unfortunately, she didn't notice him raising his glass to take a sip, and Ron didn't see her leaning over. The result was his spilling his champagne all over the two of them, causing all four adults to laugh while the teens sat there dripping.

"Aww, man," he complained. "I just bought this tux two days ago."

Kim laughed. "My birthday and tonight. Hate to say it Ronnie, but that formal outfit has already seen more than most of the formal things we wear. At least this time it's only champagne stains and can be cleaned. The only thing me and my mom could manage with my Junior Prom dress was to cut off the burned edges and turn it into a skirt."

Ron grinned. "Guess that means I'd better just go ahead and buy my wedding tux instead of renting it. Speaking of which, I think we need to go get changed."

Kim nodded, and within ten minutes they were changed into regular clothes and back in the living room, fresh glasses of the champagne in their hands.

James Possible lowered his glass. "So, just out of curiosity, have you two even talked about a date?"

Ron shook his head. "No sir, Mr. Dr. P. All we ever said was we were waiting until after we both got our basic college education out of the way, or at least until Kim did if something happened to hold me back or I ended up at some culinary institute that took longer or shorter than Kim's college did."

Anne fixed her daughter with a pointed look. "But, Kimmie, what if you decide to pursue a Master's or a Doctorate? What then?"

Kim smiled. "Mom, we're treating that the same as if Ron enters an advanced culinary program. Actually," she added with a smile at her boyfriend, "we were thinking the summer after I get my Bachelor's. Or, if something happens to make it longer than four years for me, the summer right before, assuming I'd get my degree the following semester. We haven't really talked about what we'd do if I knocked out the Bachelor's portion before then."

Gene smiled. "Well it seems to me you've both given this a lot more thought than we gave you credit for. You seem to have things very well planned out."

Kim laughed a bit. "With our situation, we kinda figured it was necessary, Mr. Stoppable."

Jean raised her hand. "You know, that's one thing we're going to have to change about you two now."

"What's that, Mom?" asked Ron with a sip of his drink.

Anne smiled. "Now, Jeanette, I think we need to just let them come up with that on their own."

Ron's mother frowned. "I hate to say it, Anne, but Ron's a little ahead in that department since he already has names beyond just calling you Mr. and Mrs. Possible. We just want them to be more comfortable with us, that's all."

Kim smiled. "To be honest, Mrs. Stoppable, I'm not sure that'll ever change until we're older. You raised Ron as too much of a gentleman to call my parents anything that isn't a title of respect. And my parents did the same with me."

Gene raised his glass. "Well said, Kimberly. I propose a toast. To our wonderful children and the journey they have decided to start together. May the love and happiness they share be visible to all who meet them."

"Here, here," chorused the other parents, but Kim and Ron said nothing, merely turning to each other and kissing.

* * *

"WHAT?!?! There is NO WAY I'm going to go through with that!" June screamed.

Xander tried to calm her. "Jules, I don't see any other way. With Lars already here, he's probably already set it up to where he'll be the last one to touch the Attitudinator before our parents go through with the operation. We have to convince them to follow our plan. I mean, we know we can stop your dad, but stopping your mom is still speculation at best."

"BUT THAT'S MY DAD! I'VE SEEN WHAT HIS OTHER SIDE CAN DO!" she yelled again before breaking down in tears.

Xander wrapped her in a hug. "Look, I know what he can do as well. I've fought him, remember, when I was younger. But I know that we have the resources available in this time period to stop him. You're mom, I'm not so sure about. I know she's not quite as formidable as she will be, but it still seems like an unnecessary risk when we have another option. Besides, it's not like I want to do this, it just doesn't seem like we have any other choice. Plus, we have to consider what the timeline will do if we fail. It's not just us at stake; it's everything and everyone we love. You know that, right?"

June couldn't stop her crying. "But I know my Dad. As someone for good, he'll do anything to protect Mom. As someone for evil, he'll try to turn her as well, or maybe something worse if he can't do that. You're asking me to put my complete trust in your theory that the two of us plus the others you have in mind can stop him and change him back to good. And have you even thought about Gerhardt. What if this helps him?"

Xander pulled her back enough that she could look at him and smiled. "If this works right, that pompous jerk won't ever even have to know about it. I promise. Besides, my family hates him, and they'd do anything to keep him from advancing."

* * *

Shego stared across the room at the bed where Drakken lay. He had hit his head hard when they fainted, having been standing instead of sitting on a bed/bench like she had been, and was being kept overnight in the medic ward for observation. She on the other hand was there for a series of tests concerning her newly found pregnancy. As she stared at him, it gave her time to think.

What would seriously happen if one or both of them were apprehended by the authorities again? True, she had already sent out a request to Team Possible, but what help could the two teens really be? In reality, those two were the reason she and Drakken had the reputations they had, because a vast number of their schemes had come about because they wanted to eliminate Team Possible. Even the Lil' Diablos plan looked like just another cracker jack take-over-the-world plot if you took out the whole Eric factor. Without Team Possible's exploits against them, Shego and Drakken would have been just another villain pair that organizations like Global Justice had to watch out for.

Then there was the matter of Shego's plan. At first, it had seemed like a natural thing. If both she and Drakken were turned good for real, in a way that even Global Justice couldn't deny, it seemed logical they would be left alone like normal citizens. And she had enjoyed the ability to move somewhat freely and go where she wanted without having to watch her back for law enforcement agents. Plus, some small part of her had enjoyed the time spent with the Princess and once again fighting alongside her brothers. Glancing around the room quickly to make sure no one saw her, she reached for her uniform on the bedside table and pulled a small, burned object out of the pouch she always wore around her leg.

Glancing at it, she smiled wistfully, for it was the only marker (other than the dog-bite scars that that teacher had) of her one week as one of the good guys. It was the final picture of a mall booth photo strip, burned so badly that you couldn't even see the hair of the two girls in it, but there was no mistaking the face of Shego or that of teen hero Kim Possible. To be honest, Shego had no idea what had made her stomp on the photo to put out the green flame she had started to burn it to a crisp. All she knew is that once she'd done it, she'd quickly hid it in her pouch before transferring it to the innermost corner of the bottommost drawer of her dresser. She'd grabbed it shortly after posting the request to the Princess's website. She was just starting to smile when she heard someone enter at the door. Quickly, she stuffed the photo back into her pouch. Then she repositioned herself so it would look like she was just waking up.

Thankfully so too, because in walked the one henchman out of the thousands Drakken had ever employed that Shego hadn't ever really liked on any level: Lars Zunderson. It wasn't that she didn't trust him—trust in the world of villainy wasn't really something to expect anyways since your co-villains were just as likely to stab you in the back as cheer you. It was more like she had never been able to truly get a bead on why he had chosen to work for her and Drakken, nor why he had been so eager to take over the Middleton Bueno Nacho location during the whole Diablos mess. In short, she had little if any respect for him, and those she did not have at least some respect for she kept a very close eye on.

He was all smiles, however. "Hello, Miss Shego. How are you feeling?"

"What's it to you, Zunderson?" she spat.

He merely kept smiling. "Well, when you learn that the woman who helps lead your organization is expecting, it's normally cause for congratulation, ma'am."

Shego rolled her eyes. "Well, don't congratulate me yet. We're not entirely sure what this means."

Lars nodded. "Oh, I'll bet that you're on your feet leading us again in no time flat, and that you haven't even considered changing the way you do things."

Shego's eyes narrowed. "What are getting at?"

Lars smiled. "I merely mean that certain changes will have to be made to your and Dr. Drakken's escape plans. We wouldn't want any new additions to be cause for separation."

"Enough jabber, Zunderson. Just say what you have to say."

"Of course, Miss Shego." Lars's smile grew bigger, and it sent an unexpected shiver down Shego's spine. If she didn't know better, she'd think he'd coerced her into this path of conversation.

"What I'm getting at, ma'am, is that as soon as the world learns that you have a child, they are naturally going to try to take that child away from you and put it into what they consider to be a better home. You might be better served, if you intend to raise the child yourself, if you were to look at alternative career paths. Maybe something to change your personality."

Shego rolled her eyes but kept her attention focused. "Oh, and I'm sure you have a suggestion."

"Certainly, ma'am. If it were me and my wife, I would seriously consider leaving the life of crime behind. Maybe even using that Hench Co. invention to change myself so I wouldn't take any unnecessary risks. Oh, what was it called? Attitudinator, that's it."

"But you're not married, Zunderson."

Lars shrugged. "I'm also not the one carrying a baby, Miss, meaning I don't have to worry about the possibility of the authorities coming to take a child away from me."

He got up to leave, an evil smile on his face. "And I also don't have to worry about what my wife would do if we were in the same boat. I'd know she loves me, and would do anything I asked her to because of that."

The door closed with a sickening whoosh, and Shego let out a breath that sounded very similar. As much as she hated to admit it, Lars was right. If she was pregnant, and the law thought she was still evil, every child services in the world would be after her so that they could "relocate the baby to a more appropriate home." And she also had more than just her feelings to consider in the matter. This child was as much Drakken's as it was hers, and he had just as much say in the matter. However, even after seeing how much he enjoyed the attention he'd gotten from saving the world, she wasn't sure he'd be thrilled to be turned back to good. However, it was their only shot at maybe giving this kid a halfway decent life. She silently prayed that the Princess and her boyfriend wouldn't turn down her request for help, and that she had at least some time before they arrived to talk to Drakken about this.

* * *

Outside the door, Future Lars grinned maniacally. The talk had gone perfectly. He'd played on the fears he knew all expecting mothers had, and Shego had responded just as he knew she would. She may have been one of the world's most cunning and ruthless villains, but she was still a woman, and was just as susceptible to the fears that all new mothers faced. Now he just had to bide his time, and make sure he was the last to touch the Attitudinator before the transfer operation. If all went according to plan, Kim Possible would be the newest leader of the organization. And judging from the way her goofball of a sidekick had acted when he'd been turned, she would be fearsome indeed.

* * *

June had finally calmed down, and both she and Xander had found a small alcove where they could rest without being discovered. At the moment, both were asleep, but that didn't last much longer. The blue-green young man eyes shot open in the darkness of the cave as he was hit with a sudden realization. Quickly, he began softly shaking the young woman sleeping in the sand next to him.

"June! Wake up!" he whispered urgently.

"Huh…wha…what is it?" June Stoppable shared her father's penchant for staying asleep once she nodded off, and it took her a few moments to become fully alert. "What's wrong, X?"

"The Attitudinator!" he said excitedly. "That's what he did."

"Aww, c'mon X. You woke me up for that?" she grumbled as she rolled back over.

"No, Jules. That's what he does that his present day self wouldn't do. He convinces Mom to use the Attitudinator."

"What are you talking about, Xander? We know he does that," June replied with an annoyed look on her face. If Xander hadn't been trying to be serious, he would have laughed out loud at how closely June's face copied her mother's "mom eye".

"No, that's what we remember because we got hit by the time ripples. Look," he said as he punched up the database on his mother on both the Kimmunicators built into their suits.

June scanned the information tiredly. Then her eyes popped wide open. "How did we miss this?"

June's Kimmunicator database showed that Shego Drakken had simply decided to give up evil and that her husband Dr. Drakken had simply followed her lead. Xander's Kimmunicator, on the other hand, had specific mention of the two villains using the Attitudinator to change themselves to good, and that Kim and Ron had helped.

June was puzzled. "Why does mine show one thing and yours another? And why did I think that yours is what really happened?"

Xander couldn't contain his excitement. "Because we went off the database that Wade was using in the future, the one that was in his computer. Remember?! When Wade called us, we were both already wearing our suits because we were about to head off on a mission. He had to take off his reality belt and put it on you to protect you from vanishing out of existence, and then me, him, and I'm guessing all his equipment got hit with that ripple that erased Ronnie. I'll bet it changed the information in the database as well. After that is when he activated the reality bubble around his house, so that he had more time to find the belts he and I needed to wear. Your database kept the original information because you were already existing on a separate reality."

June snapped her fingers. "And it was the ripple after that one that would have erased me, so you two still remembered a timeline where I exist. Which is why you knew about me but I had to tell you about Ronnie."

Xander nodded. "Exactly."

June smiled. "Maybe you were right, X. Maybe we are changing things for the better. With your parents as good guys, maybe we'll get to see each other more often."

Xander grinned. "Hey, if that happens, you won't hear me complaining."

* * *

Kim awoke Saturday morning at 5:00 AM with a smile on her face, though she couldn't figure out why. Being awake this early was never a good thing, especially now since she didn't have to be up until at least 8:00. She pulled her left hand out from under her pillow, and brought it around to rub her face with the backside of it. However, something glinted and caused her to pause. It was a good thing to, because there staring at her was the most beautiful diamond ring she'd ever seen. She smiled again as she realized it hadn't been a dream, and that she had just cause to feel giddy. The reason she was so happy this morning was that she was now officially an engaged woman!

Slowly she got out of her bed in the Stoppable guestroom and peeked out at the sleeping form on the couch's foldout bed. Her boyfriend, no, her _fiancé_, was still asleep, dead to the world and snoring quietly. She smiled, and wondered if she could get away with sneaking out and laying down with him for the final few hours of sleep. Quietly she closed the door and glanced down, noticing that she was wearing only a t-shirt and her underwear. If she was going to do this, she needed to at least put some pajama pants on. She quickly grabbed a pair, not caring which ones, and slipped them on before slowly opening the door again. As she quietly closed the door behind her, she heard the rattle of the front door. Caught with her hand in the cookie jar (so to speak), she didn't even try to dash back inside her room, even when she saw that it was her father who was the one reentering the house.

"Kimmie-cub?" he whispered.

"Yes, Daddy. Good morning," she replied in equally quiet tones. She relaxed immensely when she saw him smile, though he did motion her to join him in the kitchen. As she followed him, she noticed the morning paper under his arm, and that it looked like he might not have slept very well the night before.

"Coffee, Daddy?" she offered as she started a pot in the maker.

"Sure," he said with a somewhat haggard sigh.

Thinking it might help, wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, and smiled when he returned the gesture. As they parted, she left a kiss on his cheek, and noticed that his face was just a little tear-streaked.

"Something wrong, Daddy?"

"What? No, nothing," he replied with a sigh.

Kim watched as he turned to head into the dining room to read his paper. He seemed like he wasn't even aware that he had company. She noted how long the coffee had left and then followed him. He had the paper flat on the table, not propped up like he normally did in the mornings. As she sat down, she put her hand on his.

"Daddy, what's wrong? I will pull out the face if I have to," she said with a smile.

James looked at his daughter, a sad little smile on his face. "It's nothing really. And you know that face doesn't always work on me. Even when your mother pulls it out."

"Then tell me what's wrong," she demanded softly.

"It's just…last night, when you two kids came home, I…I knew what I was going to see. I just didn't expect what I was going to feel…"

Kim smiled. "Daddy, I may be Ron's fiancée now, but I'll always be your Kimmie-cub."

James smiled. "I thought you told me you didn't like that name while you were under that Truth Ray of Drew's."

Kim slightly shrugged. "I guess it's grown on me. Let's put it this way: the day you stop calling me that is the day I tell Mom she needs to examine your head."

Her father laughed slightly. "I just never expected you to grow up this fast. Seems like just yesterday I was having to coax you into going to your first day of preschool. Even after I got you inside, you still wouldn't let go of my hand. And now you're giving your hand and heart to another guy to hold onto."

Kim grinned, and felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Daddy, me and Ron may love each other, yes, but he could never replace you. Even if, God forbid, he ever does something to hurt me, I know you'll always be there to catch me if I fall."

James smiled. "I know he won't hurt you, Kimmie-cub. I've known it from the first time I saw you two together, and even more so from the time you two started dating. Last Friday pointed to it, and last night confirmed it. I've just been dreading this day since the day I found out you locked braces with that Nelson boy."

Kim shook her head. "I don't understand."

He sighed. "Kimmie-cub, every father dreads the day his daughter starts dating or being interested in boys for two separate reasons. You worry about her going out with the wrong kind of guys, the kind of guys who only want one thing, and you know exactly what that one thing is, because it's the same thing you wanted when you were their age. Then, she gets a little older, and you quit worrying about her meeting the wrong guy, and you worry about her meeting the right guy. And that's the biggest fear of all, because…then you lose her." The last part came out sort of choked up. "Kimmie-cub, for you, that right guy is in there sleeping on the couch, and I just feel like you grew up way too quickly."

Kim smiled. "Daddy, you're not going to lose me. I'm always going to be your little girl. Even when me and Ron hit our fiftieth anniversary, and both of us have gray hair, I'll still be your Kimmie-cub. "

With that she embraced him tight, and they held like that for a few moments. When they both leaned back, both noticed the few tears that rolled down the other's face. At that moment, the coffee machine went off, and Kim hurried to the kitchen to stop it before it woke anyone else. Grabbing the pot, a couple of cups, and a hot plate holder, she brought all of it back into the dining room. She poured the cups and set one before her father and one for her before setting the pot down on the holder.

"Now what did you mean about last Friday?"

James smiled. "Any doubts I may have had about your new fiancé left my mind that night. Ronald could have just asked you like most boys do these days, but first he asked me. He asked me to join him for dinner last Friday, and during that he asked if he could have your hand. He must have asked me two dozen times during the course of that meal if I was okay with him asking you to marry him, and I'm pretty sure I said it was okay every time. He also showed me the ring, as well as the earrings he got you for your birthday. I think a couple people might have thought we were the ones involved, as nervous as he was about asking me if I thought you'd like them."

Kim gasped a little. "So that's why he was acting so strangely that day. And why you two had that strange conversation that morning—you were confirming dinner plans."

Her father nodded. "That's right. Ronald worked out that code himself, though I think it took everything that young man had to keep you out of the loop. Gene said it was pretty funny how relieved he looked when he came home to get cleaned up and you were already asleep. Although I think Ronald might have beat himself in that when I saw how relieved he was when he realized you had moved to your room instead of being up and about the house."

Kim smiled. Ron really had gone all out on this, and she was touched that he'd decided to go through her father first, even if the tradition was slightly archaic in her mind. She made a note in her mind to give him a huge kiss as soon as he woke up. As a matter of fact, she was tempted to go out in the living room and lay down and snuggle up with him right then, so that she'd be the first thing he saw when he woke up.

Her father smiled as he saw the wheels turning in her head. "You're trying to decide what I'd think if you went out there and cuddled with him for a few more hours sleep, aren't you?"

Kim shook her head in surprise. "No…no…of course not…umm, why do you say that?"

James laughed a bit. "Because you haven't even touched your coffee cup since you poured it, except to put milk and sugar in it. And ever since you started drinking it, you've always taken it black and you've taken it fast."

Kim glanced down at her cup, surprised to see a very soft brown instead of the dark almost black color she was expecting and favored. She also hadn't noticed that she had been stirring sugar into it randomly, evidenced by the few sugar crystals on the table around her cup.

James smiled. "Go on. I won't say anything."

Kim looked at her father for a second like he'd grown two heads, but then threw her arms around his neck. Then she quietly crept into the living room and laid down beside Ron, and soon she fell asleep. James watched as the young man's arm, seemingly with a life of its own, curled around his fiancée's shoulders and pulled her close. He smiled as their faces immediately grew warm smiles. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his wife coming out of the kitchen with a grin on her face, as well as the smiling faces of Ron's parents as they turned to head back up the stairs to their bedroom.

"That was a good thing you did just now, Jimmy," his wife remarked as she came over to stand next to him.

"You all saw that, huh?" he said with a smile.

"Yeah, we did," Anne replied with sigh as she lay her head on her husband's shoulder. "And she was right, you know."

James smiled. "Yeah, I know."

* * *

A world away, Sensei was once again meditating through the night. Sometimes, the wizened old teacher found that a night of meditation gave him more rest and refreshment than a night of sleep. And tonight had been one of those nights. He had at first tried to sleep, but he kept seeing dreams that were ominous and foreboding. Attempting to gain greater clarity of the situation, he had decided to forego sleep, instead climbing to the highest point of Mount Yamanouchi. There, in a special meditation garden he had set up many years ago, he closed his eyes and focused on his dreams, trying to draw out their hidden meanings. Through this technique, he hoped to find peace. But that was not what he got.

Instead, he saw frightening visions of evil and warnings of things to come. Startled, his eyes flew open, and he immediately wished he had sent someone else to ferret out the truth behind the evils he had seen rising in the visions he had had at the beginning of the month. This mission required both the stealth and quickness that only his two best students, Yori Kimura and Hirotaka Shioda, possessed. However, they were still away on the mission he had sent them on, attempting to ascertain the meanings behind many troubling stories about serpent demons that were passing through the village below the Yamanouchi School. There was no one stealthy who would arrive in Middleton with swiftness, and no one with swiftness would be able to move about Middleton with stealth.

There was only one thing Sensei could do. He bowed his head and prayed to the old gods, asking them to provide strength to the two mysterious warriors who were battling the demons in his visions. Though he did not know their names, he knew they were the only ones who could save the world from its fate.

* * *

Drakken finally awoke many hours later. His head hurt immensely from something, and reaching back he found a bandage across the back of his head. Sitting up slowly, he came face to face with Shego, fully dressed once again in her green and black uniform. She was sitting beside his bed, looking at him with an emotion he did not recognize, nor did he ever expect to see it directed at him from those cool green eyes.

"Erm…Shego, is something wrong?"

She blew a hair out of her face. "Dr. D., what would you do if I left?"

His eyes went wide. "Left? What are you talking about?"

She looked at him again, almost as if she could see into his heart. "I'm serious. What would you do?"

Drakken scratched his chin. "Well I…I…I don't really know. I mean, of course I'd wonder why you left…"

Shego turned away. "But would you come look for me?"

Drakken sat up straighter. "Of course I would. Remember those times you went to your brothers? It would be just like that."

She still wouldn't look at him. "But what if I was different? What if I didn't want to come back here?"

Now Drakken was thoroughly confused. "Sheila, what are you talking about?"

"What if Shego was gone, and Sheila was all that was left? What would you do?"

Drakken blinked a few minutes. "Well, I suppose I'd try to figure out why Shego was gone. But that doesn't mean I'd want Sheila any less than I do now."

Shego looked at him, and he could see the slight sheen forming around the edges of her eyes. "What if she told you that Andy could stay, but Drakken had to leave?"

Drakken scratched his head. "Nnnngg, Shego now you've got me really confused. What are you getting at?"

She put her hand on her belly. "Adamson confirmed it while you were knocked out. I am definitely pregnant. What's more, it might be more than one. And I don't want them to have this life."

Drakken was at a loss. "But what do you mean?"

"Andy, the minute these kids are born, every child services in the world is going to start to try to take them away from me. And I can't live with that. Which means I can't stay here like this. I'll constantly be living in fear that we'll be caught and they'll be taken."

"So…umm…what will you do?"

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it," she said with a sigh.

Drakken searched his brain for an Ace to change her mind, but found nothing but what he considered a five at best. "What could I do to make you want to stay?"

Shego took a deep breath. "You could change."

Drakken shook his head. "Sheila, I've always been a mad scientist. It's part of who I am. Ever since I first heard great-great-Pop Pop Lipsky's recording about the Electrostatic Illuminator."

"Well, not always. There was one time you weren't bent on world destruction," she said evasively.

Drakken thought for a moment, and then got a confused look. "Wait, are you referring to three weeks ago or eighteen months ago?

"And I haven't always been evil either."

Drakken's eyes got wide. "You are referring to eighteen months ago! You want to use that Hench Co. Attitudinator to make sure we don't give them a reason to apprehend us again."

Shego stood up, and Drakken had never seen her with such a determined look on her face. However, he also noticed the watery sheen forming again. "Dr. D., I'm going to use that device on myself for the sake of these kids, and I'd like it if you would use it on yourself as well. But if you don't I'll understand and I'll move on. It's up to you. I will say that even if you don't, I'm not going to keep you from seeing your children, even if I have to take them to some special prison so they can see you." With that, she turned towards the door.

Drakken got the instant feeling that if he didn't say something now, he might lose the only woman, other than his mother, he'd ever truly cared about in any real sort of way. She was almost to the door when he called out. "Sheila, wait!"

She stopped, and Drakken saw her appear to take a deep breath before she turned. "Yes, Dr. Drakken?"

_Think, Lipsky, think!_ "Umm…well…if I did do that…which I'm not saying I will…we'd need help, don't you think? Just to make sure we both go through with it. I can't be sure you're not just trying to get me out of the way just so you can take over. That is you, you know."

Shego started to run at him, and Drakken put up his hands, expecting to be blasted by a green glow any second. He got blasted of course, but not in the way he expected. She blasted him with a huge hug and a steamy kiss that sent his eyes so wide he thought they might burst out of his head. At first, he didn't know what to do, but his arms seemed to be thinking for themselves. They wrapped tight around her, and slowly his eyes relaxed and then closed. When they parted, the look in her eyes was back, and he finally recognized it. Shego was looking at him like she loved him! And what's more, he found himself loving her right back!

Drakken smiled. "I take it you've thought this through pretty well. Did you have someone in mind to help us?"

Shego kind of frowned. "Yes, I do. In fact, I've already asked them to help. Like I said, I'm going to go through with this whether you decide to or not. I just hope they don't think it's a joke."

Drakken's smile disappeared. "Umm, who did you ask?"

* * *

Out at their cave, Xander and June heard a sudden yell echoing throughout the island.

"_WHAT?!?!_" Drakken's panicked voice thundered all about them.

Xander turned to June and smiled. "Guess Mom just ran her idea by Dad."

June nodded. "Meaning it's almost time for them to find out about us. You ready?"

Xander got a very nervous look. "Dad'll probably just faint…Mom, on the other hand……let's just say it would probably be best if you stay behind me when she finds out. I've got a feeling my shield abilities might come in handy. Speaking of which, I'm surprised your parents took it as well as they did when we told them."

June shook her head as she did her hair up in a ponytail very similar to a style she'd seen in photographs of her mother as a teenager. "To be honest, I'm still waiting for that blow-up. I don't think it's fully sunk in yet."

* * *

Ron awoke that morning and started to stretch. However, one of his arms wouldn't move, so he tugged it a little bit. When it still didn't move, he turned his head, and got the surprise of his young life. Visions of black holes started flying through his mind, as well as several headlines about his inevitable trip.

_Ron Stoppable Becomes First Person Shot into Black Hole!_

It was then that he remembered the night before, only that didn't help. It only changed the headline.

_Ron Stoppable, Fiancé of Kim Possible, Becomes First Person Shot into Black Hole!_

Kim was lying next to him, her back pressing against him as she snuggled into his arm. Looking up slightly, he saw the one face he dreaded staring at the scene. However, instead of the hard line Ron expected, he saw only a soft smile on Dr. James Possible's face. The headlines faded, but the visions of black holes continued to swarm, at least until the older man came over and, noticing Ron was awake, whispered the last thing the young man expected to hear.

"Its okay, Ronald. I told her she could." With that, Kim's dad headed up the stairs, presumably to the other spare room that he was sharing with Kim's mom.

Ron breathed a sigh of immense relief. Kim stirred for a moment, and Ron was half afraid he'd woken her by letting out his relief in her ear. However, she only snuggled up closer to him. Smiling, pulled the blanket that had shifted down up over both their shoulders and drifted back off to sleep, a contented smile on his face to match the one on his new fiancée's.

About two hours later, the scene nearly repeated itself as Ron woke up just as Kim's father was coming down the stairs. This time, however, Kim was awake and saw the look on her fiancé's face first.

"Its okay, Ronnie. He told me I could come lay down with you," she said with a smile.

James Possible laughed. "She's right, Ronald. I did."

Ron again breathed a sigh of relief, but still roused himself from his pillow, followed closely by Kim. Both teens stretched for a few minutes, working the motion back into their limbs.

"So, any plans for the newly engaged today?" Jean Stoppable asked as she came out of the kitchen.

"Oh, we thought we'd start the morning off with a good fight," Kim said with a smile.

"A fight?!" she heard her mother say from the dining room. "But you two just got engaged last night!"

"She means a sparring match, Mrs. Dr. P.," Ron called back to her. "Me and KP are a little bit rusty, and we need to start training again or it's going to catch up to us."

As they both grabbed their workout clothes to go change, Kim in her room and Ron in the downstairs bathroom, Gene couldn't hold back a laugh. "I'll bet they are the only couple in Middleton who start the day off by scrapping with each other."

James joined in the laugh. "Well, I'd rather them fight each other than get hurt in a fight with someone who wants to seriously hurt them."

"Agreed," chorused the mothers as four coffee cups clinked together in a toast.

The workout that morning felt good to both teens. It had been over a week since the fight with Adrena Lynn, and neither of them had trained since before the big interview. In addition, they got an opportunity to talk in a way that few others got a chance to. It also gave them some much needed exercise.

"So," called Kim through her flying sweat as she threw a reverse back kick, "it seems you had last night in the works for quite a while there, Mr. Stoppable."

"Yeah," called Ron as he blocked and spun with a roundhouse cross punch, his own sweat flying through the air and colliding with hers. "Couldn't really tell you about it since asking someone to marry you is supposed be a surprise."

She ducked to dodge, sweeping her leg at his as she did so. "Well, mission accomplished there."

"Really," he replied as he jumped over the sweep, adding a somersault to land a few feet away. "Then tell me something, Miss Possible. How come you started to ask if that's what I was doing?"

Kim flipped over him, leaning back when she landed so that her upper back touched his. "You know that's how I am, Ron. When I figure something out, I sometimes blurt it out."

Ron dove forward while throwing a mule kick. "Probably be an interesting story to tell the kids someday."

Kim saw the move coming however, and bent forwards into a side log roll to avoid it. "Speaking of which, how do you think June and Xander are doing. We haven't heard from them in a few weeks now."

"Maybe we should call them. Wade said their Kimmunicators function on the same main frequency as ours do," he called out as he popped up into a monkey-styled crouch.

"Nuh uhh," called Kim as she came out of her roll a few feet from him. "They told us we shouldn't contact them, that we should just live our lives as if they weren't even here."

"Still," Ron replied as he leapt into a flying kick, "it might be nice to ask Wade for an update. You said he told you that was alright for him to do, just as long as we don't do anything about the information."

"Good point," she said as she caught his foot and spun.

He landed on his back, not hard, but enough to stun him momentarily. In that instant, Kim pounced, landing on top of him and pinning him to the ground. Then she kissed him.

"Looks like I win again," she said as she pulled back.

"Nah, I let you win. I wanted you to be the one to kiss me," he said with a smile.

"Oh, really? How about Round Two, then? And I want your best. I don't get it, and you get our old method of deciding a winner." With that she flexed her fingers several times near his sides.

"Fine," he groused.

They were all set to go again when the dual sounds went off from both their Kimmunicators.

_Beep, Beep, Be-Deep._

"Saved by the Wade," exclaimed Ron.

Kim smiled and gave him a look that told him he was by no means saved, and pressed the activation button on her blue unit. "Go Wade."

"Got a special mission for you two, if you're up to it."

Ron smiled as he looked over Kim's shoulder. "Of course me and my new fiancée are up to it."

Wade grinned. "Congratulations you two."

Kim smiled. "Thanks Wade. What's the sitch?"

Wade smiled faded a little. "Well, if you guys don't mind, you need to drop by here to get the mission specs. Besides, Monique has something here for you."

"Got it, Wade. We'll be there inside of thirty minutes. Just need to get cleaned up a little first," Kim replied.

As soon as the screen clicked off, both Kim and Ron rushed inside for quick showers and to change into their mission clothes. Ron heard another noticeable tear in the first shirt he pulled on, and the second, but the third held fast, even if it was slightly tight. The pants on the other hand, took seven tries before he found a pair that didn't rip. Evidently, his growth spurt had finally pushed him to the point he needed something new. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kim put a finger to his lips.

"Ron, I swear, if you make some comment about clothes mojo…"

Ron's mouth quickly closed.

However, the subject arose again when Monique unveiled her surprise—a brand new look in the mission outfit department for Ron. It was slightly similar to Kim's in that it looked like they went together. However, instead of a purple shirt and accent stripes on the legs, this one was a brilliant shade of blue, just slightly lighter than the color of Hego's costume, almost the exact shade of Ron's eyes when he was in full powered Monkey Master Mode. The sleeves were just a bit longer, almost covering his biceps, and the pants lacked the flair in the leg that Kim's had. Also, he had two supply packs: both were situated at his belt like gun holsters and both were detachable and moveable. His gloves had lost the cuff, and were now a shiny jet black that made them look both formidable and fierce at the same time, similar to street fighter gloves. Ron said it best when he saw it in the mirror.

"Badical Booyeah!"

"You rock, Monique!" Kim exclaimed.

"It is my pleasure," Monique replied with a bow. "And it's also my admissions entry into college. The places I'm applying wanted to see what I would do if I were given details by a client."

"Well, in my book, you would get in for sure," Kim said with a smile.

"Thanks, girl. I just hope the dean sees it that way. Oh, BTW, you'd better head down to Wade's lab. He seemed pretty agitated about this new hit you guys got on your website."

"Thanks, Monique. WOI."

"Huh?" Monique looked at her weird.

Kim blinked a few times. "We're On It. You mean to tell me I just used an acronym you don't know?"

All three of them laughed. "Had to happen sometime, KP," remarked Ron between giggles.

However, the laughter quickly subsided when Wade gave them the details of their latest mission. None of them could believe it, not even Wade, and he'd processed the request and found the relevant information.

Kim was perplexed. "Why would Shego want our help, Wade?"

The tech genius shrugged. "Not really sure, Kim. All she said in the message was that she only trusted you two to help her with this."

Ron scratched his head. "Uh, you don't think this is what Xander and June meant, do you?"

Kim shrugged. "I don't know, Ron. Maybe."

Monique was completely confused. "Hold up, hold up. Who are Xander and June?"

The other three looked at each other and gulped. Then Kim turned to her BFF.

"Uhh, they're a couple of people we're working with…from out of town."

Monique tapped her foot. "Uh huh. Just like those two that have been sleeping down here in the holo-cube are Wade's cousins. What's going on here, girl?"

Ron sighed. "Look, long story short, they're from the future and they're here to stop something bad from happening. We'd tell you more, but that could jeopardize the timeline."

Monique looked at them with a cocked eyebrow. "Fine, I'll take that for now. But if this is that important, you two had better get going."

Wade nodded. "Just be careful, guys. We don't know what exactly Shego wants you to do. Even if those two did tell us the whole truth, they've already told me that things have changed from what they know."

* * *

a/n

James Possible's quote about wrong guys and right guys comes from George Banks, the dad in _Father of the Bride_, and that's exactly how I picture Kim's father reacting on that day.

And as always, I always appreciate comments and reviews. :)


	15. Chapter 15

A/N

Chapter 15 is up and running!

Wade reveals a surprise he's been cooking up for Team Possible.

Drakken and Shego put some thought into their new relationship.

Xander and June have a talk, revealing a little about themselves.

A loyal friend makes a pleasant discovery.

Kim and Ron talk about their future.

Drakken and Shego make plans, and Shego makes an important call.

And finally, Xander and June reveal themselves to Drakken and Shego.

So the drama!

And now for the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

Wade nodded. "Just be careful guys. We don't know what exactly Shego wants you to do. And even if those two did tell us the whole truth, they've already told me that things have changed from what they know."

"Like what?" asked Ron.

Wade scratched his chin. "Well, for one thing, Dementor was supposed to have come here instead of tailing them. During the course of that fight was also supposed to be when I revealed these, presumably to give you an edge against him. But since he's not coming…" He pushed a button on his console, and a panel on the wall slid back. Hanging there was a brand new battle suit, but unlike the original, it was a shiny black with purple bands the same shade as Kim's mission shirt and looked tailored to her exact build.

"Presenting the Team Possible Battle Suits, Mark II," he said with a grand gesture.

"Uh dude, check your math. There's only one there," Ron replied with a wry smile.

Wade glanced back and then shook his head. "Sorry, this thing keeps getting stuck," he said as he pressed the button again.

The panel slid further, revealing a second battle suit, this one also in black, but with bands of brilliant blue the same shade as Ron's new mission gear, and apparently suited to his measurements.

"Whoa," was all Ron could say.

Kim however, merely shook her head. "Hold up, Wade. I thought you said that no insurance company would cover Ron having a battle suit. Or at least that's what you told me when I asked after Ron 'borrowed' the first one."

Wade shrugged. "Well, evidently the fact that he repelled an alien invasion has a lot of people reevaluating him."

Ron scratched his head. "Reevaluating me?"

Monique nodded. "Ron, you stepped up. People take notice of that."

Kim grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "Told you they'd start seeing what I see soon enough."

Ron smiled. "Guess so."

Kim turned back towards Wade. "Okay, so what can these new suits do?"

Wade grinned. "Well, the Mark II has all the original features the Mark I had: built in grapple cable, shields, stealth mode, self-healing abilities, morphing cesta basket, and enhanced speed and strength. But the Mark II version also has jet boots designed for short flights, and an adaptation of the self-healing that allows it to form fit you and slide around."

Ron scratched his head. "Uh, what about that hand-thing that KP uses to throw Shego's blasts back at her?"

Kim smiled. "Ron, that's the morphing cesta basket."

Ron half-shrugged. "Ohhh…why don't we just call it the hand thing?"

Kim shook her head. "Moving on, what do you mean about sliding around?"

Wade grinned. "Take off a glove and go touch the purple one with your finger, Kim, but only do it for a second."

Kim looked at him for a second, and then walked over to where her new suit hung. Tentatively, she removed one of her gloves, stuck her hand out, and placed her finger on the surface. Immediately it began to form mercurially around her, shaping to her like a second skin. She quickly pulled back in surprise, causing the suit to snap back to its original form, though there was a slight rippling effect.

Wade grinned again. "If you touch the suit with your skin anywhere but around the neck and shoulders, the fabric would slide over the clothes you're wearing and form-fit to you like a protective skin. It's a new feature I developed that allows you to hide them under your clothes. If you're wearing them full out and press the belt, they retract up and bare your arms and legs, or vice versa. But the best part is that they'll never get too small like the Mark I would have. You could grow another foot and gain another hundred pounds, and these suits will still fit just as well as they do right now."

Kim smiled triumphantly. "Well, then let's give 'em a road test."

Both she and Ron grabbed their suits and headed upstairs to change. Ron also used the opportunity to slip into his new mission wear. When they came back down though, he was fidgeting a little bit.

"Uh, Wade, how do you adjust these things? Mine's a little tight in certain areas," he said with a wince.

Wade nodded. "Just push the button on top of the belt. That should resize it for you. Kim, you'd better do that too, just to be safe."

Both did, and there was a ripple of movements under their clothes. Then everything settled back down, and Ron uttered a sigh of relief.

Kim smiled as she flexed her arm. "You outdid yourself again, Wade."

Wade grinned. "Hey, I do what I can."

Kim dropped the smile into a serious face. "Now then, let's move."

* * *

Drakken stared at the computer screen, looking over the description he had of the Attitudinator helmet, and shuddered slightly. He loved Shego…no, Sheila…or at least thought he might, but the idea of a big step like this still worried him a bit. It felt like doing this for her would basically be akin to asking her to join him in the big "M", and he wasn't ready for that by any means. Also, putting that thing on his head really kind of hurt. He found himself wishing that the new version created by that Go City villainess hadn't been smashed, as a simple ray sounded a lot less painful than the burning scalp, splitting temples, and supremely itchy feet the device caused in helmet mode.

Deciding to go for broke, he went ahead and placed two requests into the computer. One for an audience with Jack Hench, and one to visit this…Electronique…in the Go City Maximum Security Facility. The first one he would tell Shego and…them…about, but the visit to Go City he decided to keep secret and try on his own. There was always the chance that he would be apprehended by Shego's brothers, but hopefully he would be able slink in and out of Go City Max with little incident.

Drakken had to hold back a nervous laugh as he realized he was having to scheme a way to possibly end his schemes forever. Well, maybe not end his schemes, but certainly cease his evil ones. He tried to imagine what good-side schemes he might dream up, but the mere thought of being a full-time do-gooder gave him a headache. Still, he remembered with some happiness how good it had felt to hear most of the world cheering for him during his medal presentation at the U.N. How ironic that his greatest honor had come at the very place he'd tried so many times to take over.

Smiling to himself, he looked over at the mint-toned woman sitting across the room. She was once again filing the metal claws on her gloves, something he'd grown so accustomed that he'd taken to asking what was wrong when she went longer than twelve hours without doing it. Drakken wondered if she'd keep doing that after they turned good, and at the same time that worry that she was tricking him so she could take over the organization resurfaced. He tried to push it down, but had no success, just like every other time he'd had it pop up and had tried to repress it. And unfortunately, that always led to the same place of him wonder: just what could he and Shego have between them if they didn't trust each other. For some reason, he began to hum the tune of an old rock n' roll tune about suspicious minds as he continued his work, although he kept hoping that was all it was.

Across the main room of the lair, Shego heard Drakken start to hum the tune, and the same thoughts crossed her mind, only her musings on their relationship didn't deal so much with betrayal as abandonment. Drakken had shown on a few occasions, like that whole business with Warmonga's original trip to Earth, that he was willing to replace her if it suited him, and she couldn't shake the worry that the only reason he'd agreed to her crazy plan was for the sake of the kid, or kids, she was now carrying. If it wasn't for that, and she asked him, would he still be as eager? No, scratch that. He wasn't even that eager right now, but at least he was considering the idea. If she weren't pregnant, would he have kicked her out if she even suggested the idea to him?

They were both so occupied in their worries about the future of their budding relationship that neither one noticed the evil sneer that had remained plastered on Lars Zunderson's face ever since Drakken had announced to the entire lair what they were planning, or that he had been eyeing them both like a hungry vulture waiting for the time to kill.

* * *

Xander tapped at the wrist Kimmunicator built into his sleeve. As soon as he and June had discovered the discrepancies in their personal databases, they had begun systematically checking the information caches against each other. However, they had still only learned what they already knew, which amounted to Dementor attacking them instead of Middleton and the fact that Drakken and Shego were going to use the Attitudinator instead of gradually cleaning up their reputations. Now they sat at the edge of the water in front of their cave.

June sighed, her father's attention span coming to full force. "X, we've been at this for hours. Shouldn't we be doing something to get ready for Mom and Dad's arrival?"

Xander shook his head. "Jules, you and I both know we can't do that. Besides, Wade still has instructions, from us I might add, to not contact us unless he has to, even if they get the call from my mom that they are sure is the call we referred to. He may still be young, but this is Wade Load we're talking about here."

June sighed again, picked up a smooth stone and threw it, skipping it out across the water in front of them. "I know—I just hate sitting here and doing nothing."

Xander couldn't hold back a laugh. "Well, you've always said you wanted to know how your mother felt the first time they went up against my Uncle Eddy."

June scowled. "Like I would ever sit by the phone and wait for a guy with a mullet to call me."

Xander kept laughing. "You are really are more like your mother than you realize."

June shook her head defiantly. "I am not. I have way more patience than she had. Plus, I don't have to be the one in charge on everything like she does."

"Yeah right, Jules. You were the one who insisted we start at your dad's house when we got here. You also insisted we get a closer look at them at the ruins of your mom's house. And you're the one who suggested every single lair we check before we came to this one. I'm actually a little surprised you haven't already charged back into this one yet."

Again, June scowled. "X, just because I like to have a handle on things and know what I'm doing doesn't mean I'm 'Type A' like she is."

Xander smiled. "The only reason you aren't is because of your dad."

June had no answer, only a rolling of her eyes.

* * *

In a non-descript house in southern Lowerton, Betty Director sat in a chair as she leaned her head to first one side and then the other, trying to remove the tension she'd built up in her neck. Regular agents of Global Justice normally worked only 14-16 hour days, but as the director and head of the spy network she was often forced into 20-24 hour or longer days. Relatively speaking, things had been quiet on the global security front, except for a rather peculiar rash of strange movements by Amy Hall, otherwise known as DNAmy. The rogue geneticist had been all over the place lately, though her activities seemed completely random. If not for the fact that Drakken's randomness over a year ago had turned out to be his most elaborate plan ever, Dr. Director wouldn't have considered the actions by the bubbly, Cuddle Buddy obsessed woman to be a warning of impending threat.

However, that was no longer the world they lived in unfortunately. Drakken's Lil' Diablo scheme had changed the world of crime-fighting in much the same way the attack against the World Trade Center had forever altered the air travel industry. No threat, no matter how small, could be ignored, and as such Global Justice had to follow up everything, making sure to cross every "t" and dot every "i". In fact, that was the main reason why Betty had only gotten off a thirty hour stint at Global Justice headquarters approximately a half hour earlier. She hadn't even had the chance to check her mail yet, instead bringing the entire stack inside and plopping it on the coffee table before dropping herself into a recliner.

As she leaned forward to massage her neck, she noticed a single letter that had fallen to the ground near her feet. Picking it up, she recognized the handwriting and sighed. Frowning, Betty wondered what possible reason the young woman could have for writing to her. She grabbed her letter opener and slit the top of the envelope, pulling out a very short and to the point letter, as well as copies of two other letters. The Global Justice head glanced at the copy letters and smiled, and her smile only got bigger as she read the main letter. Leaning back in her chair, she found herself feeling much less stressed. If Team Possible had gotten the message, then there was still some hope. And any hope right now would be good, especially if what she suspected was true.

_Thanks Will. I owe you one._

_

* * *

_

Kim glanced out the window of the Sloth at the ground flying below them. The rockets her brothers had put on the vehicle had cut down on the need for her and Ron to call on airplane favors as much, but she still found herself sometimes longing for those days. It wasn't that she liked the sometimes cramped, often cold rides in the back of cargo planes. No, what she really missed was the opportunity to cuddle up with Ron. Even though they hadn't been dating at the time, or even entertained the notion, they'd still enjoyed the time they spent like that because they were together. Now that they had the Sloth with its flying abilities, one of them always had to be doing the driving.

Glancing over at Ron, who was focused on staring out windshield to watch for oncoming planes, she smiled at how her fiancé was maturing in the looks department. He still wasn't chiseled, and would likely never be, but he'd certainly gained a little definition. She supposed his year spent on the football team might have something to do with that, but she was more convinced it had to do with the growth spurt he'd undergone. Sighing in admiration, she wondered why she hadn't noticed it happening when she'd at the very least spent two hours with him practically every day since they'd started dating. But somehow, she'd missed it.

Really, the only change she'd even noticed happening with his physique had been during that period where he tried to prove the Wheel of Good Eating was wrong by eating nothing but Bueno Nacho. Thankfully he'd quit that unhealthy habit shortly after Kim and the Tweebs had reversed the effects of Project Titan and turned him back to normal. He'd even started occasionally foregoing Nacos completely in favor of the Hablamos Salad. Kim was grateful for that, because it was just like she'd said: Ron's eating like that wasn't healthy, for him or for their relationship, and she would have hated to have to crack down against his favorite eatery.

That train of thought took her mind into thinking about the trust funds they'd had set up for them, and what having that much money meant. In theory, if they were careful, they would never have to work again, meaning they could keep doing the hero work for as long as they wanted, maybe even making careers out of it. Of course, she always found herself admitting, that would never really work. Ron had already decided he wanted to be gourmet chef that someday owned his own restaurant, and she certainly wanted to do something with her life. What exactly that was she didn't yet know, but she did know she would need something to occupy her time once she became pregnant, which was something she knew was a definite part of her and Ron's futures. Not just because of the presence of June, but because it was something they had talked about many times before their future daughter had ever made her appearance, though they had never actually discussed a number. Seeing as they had nothing but time to kill until they reached Drakken and Shego's Caribbean lair, now was as good a time as any.

"Hey, Ronnie?"

The young man glanced over at her for a second before returning his eyes forward. "What's up KP?"

"Have you ever thought about how many kids you want?"

Ron kept his eyes trained ahead. "A few times. Why?"

Kim stretched a little. "Oh, I don't know. I was just thinking about what June and Xander told us the second time we talked to them. About how Julie Anne was our second child."

Ron smiled. "And that we have an older kid named Ronnie. Yeah, I remember. I've actually been thinking about that too."

"And?"

Ron sighed. "I don't know, KP. I mean, I would like at least one of each. You know: one boy and one girl. But hey, if I'm destined to live in an estrogen household, then I'll be absolutely fine with that. At least I'll have Rufus to guy it up with."

Kim smiled. "Yeah. I suppose all we do know is that we have at least one daughter. But seriously, how many do you want?"

Another sigh. "I honestly don't know, KP. Why are you pushing about this?"

Kim huffed indignantly. "I am not pushing, Ron. I'm just curious what you think."

Ron started to sigh again, but stopped when he caught Kim's glare. "Kim, I honestly don't know. I mean, I'd be happy whether we had two or a dozen. It really doesn't matter as long as we can both handle it."

Kim snorted. "There is no way I'm going to have a dozen kids, Ron. My name is not Baker and it is certainly not Duggar. Besides, I'm not a big girl, meaning that it's very likely I might have to have a caesarian done for even just one. Mom's told me before that I almost was because I took so long. With the Tweebs it was a foregone conclusion from the outset that they wouldn't be a natural birth. I may be a bit bigger than she was, but it's still a very real possibility."

Ron grinned. "Works fine for me. I plan to be out in the waiting room handing out bubblegum cigars."

Kim shook her head. "Oh no, buster. You are going to be right there standing next to me in the delivery room. And no video camera either. Or pictures."

Ron gave a half shrug of innocence while keeping one hand on the steering wheel. "KP, do I really seem like the kind of guy who would videotape or take pictures of that?"

Kim glared at him. "Whether you are or not is irrelevant, Stoppable. I'm not going to have someone taking pictures of me while I go through something that's supposedly hurts as bad as or worse than any beating I've taken from the numerous villains we've faced over the years. So any ideas you may have about that can stop right here."

Ron grinned. "Fine, you're the boss."

Kim smiled. "Now about the question I've asked numerous times now. How many do you want?"

Ron rolled his eyes but still smiled. "Fine. I guess I'd say…three. If we haven't had a son by then, then I'd say someone doesn't want us to have boys."

Kim smiled. "Three. Not taking that from watching my family, have you?"

Ron shook his head. "No. To be honest, I really just want to make sure we have one of each. And I kind of like the idea of two adults and three kids. Though if we have twins, I'm not sure what I'll do."

Kim giggled. "Well, you know it's a very real possibility. Twins run in my family. My brothers for one thing. So are my mom and Cousin Larry."

Ron blinked a few times. "Larry's not a twin."

Kim nodded. "Yes he was. His twin brother Garry died just before they were born. That's why Aunt June is so protective of him."

Ron glanced over at her. "I knew about your brothers, and about your mom and her sister Laura, but I didn't know about your cousin being one as well."

Kim sighed. "I'm not surprised, even considering how close we've always been. It's not something my family likes to talk about."

"So what happened?"

Kim stared out the side window. "I'm not really sure. Something about the umbilical cord getting twisted around Garry's throat because of the way he and Larry were moving around inside my aunt. I'm not really sure about the details, because it happened before I was even conceived. I didn't even know about him myself until I was like eight."

Ron smiled and reached over with his free hand to rub his fiancée's shoulders. "Don't worry about it Kim. It's still a long ways off for us to start worrying about stuff like that."

Kim turned back towards him and smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, Ronnie."

"Anytime, KP. Anytime," Ron replied before turning his focus back on the flight.

* * *

Drakken stared at the face on the giant view screen. This man may have been the premier supplier of villain tech and supplies, as well as patenting the name and use of Henchmen, but that didn't make him any less of a pain to deal with.

"Look Jack. All we want is to purchase one Attitudinator helmet."

Jack Hench's face stared at him. "And I repeat, Dr. Drakken. Since when do you _buy_ anything?"

"Nnnngg…look, do you have any in stock or not? I'm a very busy man."

Jack stared at him. "You, busy? Hah! You haven't done anything since you got that medal for _saving_ the world. I wouldn't even be surprised if the World Villainy Association already put your membership into void status."

"Grrrrr…I'll have you know that once I have that device in my possession, I can guarantee that the name of Dr. Drakken will no longer carry the stigma of one-time world saver."

Hench rolled his eyes. "Besides, the last few times we've done business your checks have bounced."

Drakken grumbled under his breath before replying. "Fine. You want straight cash, that's what we'll do. Now do you have any of them in stock at this moment?"

Hench smiled and motioned behind Drakken. "Why not just have _her_ come by and steal one like you normally do?"

Drakken gulped and turned around. Sure enough, there was Shego standing right behind him.

"Well…see…umm…the thing is…"

Shego stepped forward. "Look Hench. My ankle's bothering me, but we really need that device. So we're offering to actually pay you what you request for an item. This way I don't get my hands dirty or further injure myself, and you get your money."

Hench thought for a moment. "Well, okay, I'll see what I can come up with. But I want someone else to pick it up. Someone I trust."

Shego scowled. "Alright, who?"

Hench smiled. "Have to figure that one out on your own. Oh, and I'd hurry. I just checked stock and we only have two left. Plus, there a real big seller right now." With that, the connection was severed.

Drakken ran a hand over his face. "Nnnngg…why is he being so difficult? And my check only bounced on the Attitudinator we bought from that Annual Super-Villain Trade Show and Convention two years ago. My last several orders for Henchmen and doomsday parts were backed up by solid cash."

Shego shook her head. "Look, Dr. D., he's probably just trying to get at us for how you tried to steal that Transducer from Miss Priss after she swiped it from him."

Suddenly Drakken's face lit up. "Shego, that's it. We'll have Kim Possible be our middle-man. Or girl. Oh, however you say it. Hench knows she wouldn't do anything to double-cross him."

Shego stared at him. "Uh, hello? She did swipe the Transducer. The only time she ever helped Hench was when I stole those Molecular Muscle Enhancer Rings from him so that you could steal the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer from Dementor. That's only a one and one statistic."

"Say what?"

Shego rolled her eyes. "What I'm saying is that Hench doesn't trust Kimmie. He only knows she does what's right."

Drakken thought for a moment. "Well, technically, being an honest middle-man for a legit transaction would be doing the right thing. And if Kim Possible keeps secret what we plan to do with the Attitudinator, then Hench would have no reason not to trust her. This plan is foolproof."

Shego waved her hands in the negative. "Whoa there, timeout. Please do not say 'foolproof.' Every time you use that phrase before a scheme, the plan becomes anything but and something always goes wrong."

Drakken hunched over a little. "Not every time…does it?"

"Oh no, not every time," she replied sarcastically. "Just ten out of every ten times."

"Ah ha! Wait. Oh, I hate it when you do that. Besides Kim Possible is the only person, and I really hate to say this, who I feel we can at least halfway trust to follow through on this without double-crossing us." Drakken cringed at the last part, as if the words had needed to be vomited from his mouth.

Shego sighed. "Guess you're right about that. I'm not sure I'd even trust our top henchman to do this right."

As she said that, she cast an eye over at Lars. Shego didn't like the way the burly henchman was staring at her or Dr. Drakken. Or that most of his stares at her seemed focused at her midsection. She was almost tempted to pull Drakken aside and tell him of her suspicions, but at the same time she had no way of knowing if Lars was acting on his own or at the request of her employer. Shego shook her head. For the first time since she and Dr. Drakken had hooked up, she had thought of him as only her employer and not her boyfriend, and it unnerved her in more ways than one. However, what Drakken said next alleviated some of the worry she had built up against him.

"Umm…Sheila? You're ankle's not really bothering you, is it? Because if it is I could go fetch some ice or a warm compress for you. Maybe even massage it for you."

Shego smiled. "No, it's fine. Although I wouldn't turn down the foot massage."

Drakken smiled, and not the usual maniacally evil smile he got when schemes were working correctly. No, this smile was warm and caring, and for some reason, one that Shego couldn't pinpoint, it looked a lot more at home on that blue face than the villainous grin ever had.

Shego held up her hand. "But before you do that, I have an important call to make from my room. There's someone I need to talk to."

Drakken nodded, and turned back towards the computer, again going over the specs for the Attitudinator helmet.

Shego watched him for a moment, then turned and headed towards her quarters, going slightly out of her way to avoid getting any closer to Lars than she had to. Ever since that talk she'd had with him in the Medic Ward, something about his mannerisms seemed off in a more sinister way than normal. However, Shego couldn't allow herself to focus on that. She was much more worried about the impending video call she was about to make.

_I only hope they accept the call and don't take this as a joke,_ she thought with a sigh.

* * *

June stared at the darkening sky impatiently. "They should have been here by now. My uncles fitted that Sloth with engines fast enough that it can get from New York to Los Angeles in six hours if Mom and Dad need to. I know cause I've been with them when they did it."

Xander shook his head. "That's only when it's an emergency, Jules, you know that. And I seriously doubt that my mother put this request under the 'help seriously needed' category. I don't think Wade had even set up that category by this point in time. If I remember correctly, it was mine and my sister's birth that made him think it was even necessary."

June looked at him quizzically. "So how exactly do you plan to tell her that you're her son?"

Xander sighed, fired up his left index finger, and started lasering something in the sand. "I'm not really sure. Probably start off behind my shield for one thing. If I know her, she's probably going to shoot first, ask questions later. I just hope she doesn't use that plasma bomb, because I can't block or duplicate that move. Kind of like my cousin can grow but not shrink like my uncle."

June smiled, but then frowned. "Speaking of which, don't you think you'd better contact your uncles? If you really think we're going to need Team Go to help stop my dad, they're going to need to be heading this way. The Sloth's faster than the Go Jet by a long shot."

Xander shook his head. "Actually, my uncles are only a last resort on this. I only plan on calling them if the two of us plus my mother can't handle him ourselves. Besides, the less people who know we're here the better. I already don't like the fact that both Monique and Dementor know we're here. It puts a greater strain on the time line. I mean what if one of us gets seriously hurt during this? The more people who know about us being here, the greater chance we have of them trying to stop us from coming back in the first place."

June nodded. "I guess you're right. You know, sometimes I forget you've been at this longer than I have."

Xander smirked. "Or that you're not the only one with a world hero family legacy to uphold."

"That too," she replied with a smile.

* * *

Shego stared at the computer monitor, waiting for her video call to go through. She hoped fervently that it would be one of the twins who picked up the call. For some reason she had always gotten along better with Wesley and Werner, better known as the Wegos, than with either Melvin or Hector. If she really thought about it, she had to admit that had it been either Hego or Mego who had gotten captured by Aviarius three years ago she might have blown the whole thing off, despite the fact that it was family. It wasn't even the fact that they were her younger brothers, because she was also older than her violet-skinned brother as well. Maybe it was the idea that the twins had only been three when the comet hit their tree house, and she had felt somewhat responsible since she was the reason they were up there in the first place.

Regardless of why, she found herself instantly relieved when it was Wesley who answered the call. Most people couldn't tell the two apart, but Shego had long ago noticed that when the twins faced someone directly, Wesley's bangs curled to the right while Werner's curled to the left. At the moment, it was a right-side curl that was looking at her.

"Hey sis. What's up?"

Shego was slightly tentative. "Wesley, I need to speak to all of you guys. Is the rest of the team there?"

Wesley shook his head. "Sorry, sis. Werner and Hector are here, but Melvin's off doing his own thing as usual."

Shego couldn't suppress a snicker. "He definitely got the right name."

Her brother laughed as well. "Tell me about it. Biggest ego and the 'all about me' attitude."

"Well, I guess I can talk to you three. Can you get them?"

"Sure thing." He turned to the side. "Hey, Werner! Hector! Sheila's on the Go Vision Screen."

Within a few minutes, Shego was staring at the faces of her youngest and eldest brothers. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Hey guys. Look, let's get something straight right off the bat. I don't intend to rejoin Team Go anytime soon. However, I may be moving back to Go City fairly soon."

Both the Wegos got huge smiles, but Hego's face was harder to read.

"You know, sis, it would be great to have you nearby again, but just because you're family doesn't mean we would put up with any villainous acts you decide to commit while you're here. Team Go is still honor bound to protect this city and the world. We've only left you alone up till now because you never pulled anything here."

Shego smiled. "If everything goes right, you won't have to worry about that anymore. I'm giving up the life of evil." As soon as she said it, she could swear she heard the sound of Hector's jaw dropping all the way from Go City.

"That…that's great to hear, sis! But might I ask why, if you don't intend to rejoin us in our heroic stand against the forces of evil?"

Shego grinned mischievously. "Let's just say that you might need to make a new Go Team suit or two pretty soon."

Werner stared at her with wide eyes. "Sis, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

She nodded. "Yep. Just found out. And speaking of which, there's another condition of this as well. Dr. D.'s coming with me, and he's doing the same thing I'm doing."

Hego shook his head. "Sis, we can lay off of you on your word, but we're going to need some sort of proof that Drakken has given up his evil schemes and world domination plans."

Shego smiled. "If you want proof, watch him when he travels to Go City in the next few days. He's going to be visiting Electronique to talk about how she turned the Attitudinator into the Re-Polarizer, because we're going to use it on ourselves. But don't tip him off to your observations. He thinks I don't know about the trip."

Hego nodded. "Okay, we'll watch him. But if he pulls anything, anything at all, we're going to have to apprehend him, even if he is the father or my new niece or nephew."

He cut the transmission at that point, and Shego sat back with a groan. Keeping civil with her older brother was always taxing on her nerves, but she had done it, and this time hadn't been nearly as hard. Maybe that darn helmet or ray or whatever it was had left some residual effects imprinted on her mind. It was entirely possible, considering how many times she'd been zapped during that fight with Electronique.

That got her to thinking about Stoppable. Ever since the fight with the Lorwardians, something had been bothering her. During the fight, when the young man had surrounded her, the Princess, and aliens with that mysterious red vortex, he'd gained a look very similar to his Zorpox alter ego. While it had been clear that Ron was still in control, Shego couldn't shake the feeling that something had been very wrong about his eyes, which had held the same gaze she'd seen when he himself had been zapped by the Re-Polarizer. She wondered if it was a good idea to ask both Kim and Ron to help out with this, but it couldn't be changed now.

* * *

"Only about two hundred miles to go now," declared Ron as he looked at the GPS computer built into the Sloth's dash.

Kim tilted her head side to side. "So maybe two minutes, huh? Good, I need to stretch my legs."

Ron grinned. "Hey, I offered to let you drive."

Kim smiled. "I know you did, Ron, but you've got to learn how to fly this thing too. You never know when I might get hurt and you'll need to fly us out of a dangerous sitch."

Her fiancé shook his head. "Hopefully you're never that hurt. I'm not sure I'd be able to concentrate on doing this if you were."

Kim put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't sell yourself short. You thought I was in serious trouble during the fight with Warhok, and you still managed to be a hero. I'm sure that when I need you to you could come through on anything."

Ron glanced at her, still not convinced. "Are you sure about that, KP?"

She smiled. "Positive. I wouldn't have agreed to marry you if I didn't trust you completely."

Ron grinned and sat up straighter in the driver's seat. They sat in silence like that for a bit. Then Kim pointed forward.

"There it is. Drakken's Caribbean lair. Go ahead and set her down on the water. It'll give us a better landing strip and then we can use the aquatic capabilities until we get to dry land."

Ron nodded. "Gotcha KP. Hang on."

The Sloth slowly descended towards the ocean below. Just before they touched the water, Ron flipped a switch. The wheels turned sideways, and there was a noticeable whooshing sound as several openings on various parts of the vehicle were sealed up. The landing was a little bumpy, and not all of it was due to the break of the waves as they approached the beach. However, for a first time air-to-water transfer, Ron did surprisingly well. Only Rufus complained any, mainly because the landing caused him to tumble off his perch on Ron's shoulder into the young man's lap. Ron merely shook his head.

"See buddy, this is why I told you you'd be safer if you were in the pocket when we landed."

Scanning the island, Kim noticed two very familiar figures sitting on the beach. "Pull it up there. We can park the car in that cave behind Xander and June."

Ron did so, though he did it in a roundabout way so as to avoid hitting the two teens from the future. Once the Sloth was safely parked inside, they exited the vehicle and Kim hit a button on her car remote. Instantly, the Sloth was covered in the same impenetrable metal shell that had protected them from the media frenzy a few weeks earlier.

June waved to them as they approached. "I see Monique already gave you the new mission clothes, Dad. Looking sharp."

Ron got a nervous look on his face. "Okay, the fact that my future daughter is checking me out is making me just a little uncomfortable. Besides, I just asked Kim to marry me last night."

June shook her head in disgust. "Okay, I am NOT checking you out, Ron. I just happen to like the way Monique designs her clothes."

Kim quickly looked for an out on the conversation before it got weirder. "Alright you two, what's the sitch inside?"

June shook her head. "Okay, I agree with Xander—that is just too awk-weird. Anyways, the sitch is that Lars has already infiltrated the base and replaced his present-day self. We have no idea when it happened, only that it already has. We also know what he's done that his other version wouldn't have done, and that's suggest Xander's parents use the Attitudinator. Originally, they would have just gradually reformed. However, the C.C. hasn't picked up any major changes due to this, so there's no way to know what's been done."

Xander nodded. "Also, you guys are supposed to have the Mark II battle suits by now. Do you?"

Kim and Ron responded by pressing buttons on their belt buckles. Immediately their arms were covered in black material accented by colored power bands, blue for Ron and purple for Kim. The suits continued mercurially spreading until they were fully covered from neck to toe by the shiny black material. Then Team Possible pressed the buttons again, and just as quickly the suits slid back up.

June nodded her approval. "I see Wade already adapted the suit's healing and morphing abilities down to a unitard that you wear under the clothes. Very nice."

Kim smiled. "Yeah, Wade does rock."

Xander shook his head. "Moving on to why we're here, if our intel is correct, and at this point it's only got about an 80% success rate, Mom and Dad are expecting you two, so you need to enter through the front. And we're going with you. It's time they met us. However, we're going to be in stealth mode until we're inside, just so they don't think you're trying to betray them."

Ron had to laugh. "Us, betray Drakken and Shego?"

His daughter stared him down intently. "No jokes on this, Dad. I'm starting to see why Mom always tells you to quit playing around and get your head in the game."

Ron sighed. "Aww, man, even my future daughter thinks I'm a goofball."

Kim silenced him with a kiss. "True, but you're _our_ goofball."

June hid her eyes. "Oh god, I am so glad you guys aren't still teenagers in our time."

Xander winked at her. "Well, at least now you have some ammo to counteract them with when they catch us kissing."

Kim blushed when she realized what had just been said. Ron merely got confused and scratched his chin

Kim took a deep a breath. "Okay. How about we enter this place from the front door for a change?"

* * *

Drakken stared at the monitor, unable to believe his eyes. "Kim Possible! And she's not just busting in here to destroy my lair!"

Shego rolled her eyes. "Uh, doy! We asked them here, remember?"

Drakken shook his head in confusion. "Oh…right…we did, didn't we?"

He pressed a button to open the doors to the complex. In just a few short minutes, Drakken and Shego were face to face with Kim and Ron, the four of them apparently alone in one of the lair's many rooms. The fact that there was no fighting was immediately noticeable by all, but that's not what Shego pointed out first.

"Whoa, Princess, where did you get the rock?"

Kim smiled. "Last night actually. Ron proposed to me over dinner."

Drakken stuttered a little bit. "So…so…you two are really in this for the long haul?"

Ron sighed. "Yes, Dr. Drakken, we are. Man, why is it still so hard for people to believe that Kim and me are a couple?"

Shego smirked. "Actually, I'm surprised it took you two so long to admit it."

Kim was a little taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

Shego rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. No matter how deep into a fight the two of us were, one yell from Stoppable here and you ended it quicker than anything and went to help him. Plus, he was the one who finally got you to fight against that little microchip of Bortal's."

Kim smiled, a secretive little smile that Shego didn't really like the meaning behind. "Speaking of which, Shego, when we get a minute alone there's something I need to tell you about those Moodulators."

This time it was Drakken who rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. We already know that they don't emphasize any emotion that doesn't already exist in some form. Found that out when we removed it from her neck, since there were some residuals left around. The only reason you didn't get any is because you shorted out the one on your neck."

Kim and Ron looked shocked, but they weren't the ones who spoke up.

"So you two knew there were feelings between you as far back as that!" came a bodiless male voice

Shego's fists immediately fired up. "Okay, who said that? Show yourself!"

Kim raised her hands. "Shego, trust me, you don't want to do that."

Shego pointed her glowing fist directly at the young woman's face. "Obviously you know who it is. And I'm betting they care about you a pretty good deal, or they wouldn't be here with you."

"Actually," the voice said again, "I care a lot more about what happens to you, Shego. And to Dr. Drakken. Kim's a friend, but you two are a lot more special to me."

Another voice, this one female, came out of the air. "Hey, don't forget why we're here X. If something happens to any of them, we could be in serious trouble."

This time Shego didn't waste time with questions—she simply fired several blasts all around the room. Most of them left holes in the wall. But two of the shots impacted against a blue-green plasma shield that instantly popped up out nowhere to her left. She quickly turned towards the floating oval and started charging up a plasma bomb between her hands.

"Wait! Hold on!" the male voice called out. "We'll show ourselves on one condition. You put out your Go Team glow and agree to hear us out before you decide to fire at us. After that, if you want, fire at us all you want."

The declaration was immediately followed by harried whispering from both voices, but none of those visible could make out the words. Shego took stock of her options, and while she dissipated the plasma bomb, she kept her hands glowing and trained on the floating plasma shield. Kim stepped towards her, but the villainess stopped her in her tracks by once again aiming a glowing fist at her face.

"Don't do it, Princess."

Kim held up hands. "Look, Shego, I really think you need to hear them out. We already did, and I'm pretty sure you want to hear what they have to say about what you're planning."

Shego looked at the young woman with a look somewhere between disbelief and anger. "So, you had your little computer geek run a trace on us, find out what we're up to. Is that it?"

Ron stepped forward. "Actually, no. We had no idea what you were planning until these two told us. And I agree with Kim. You two definitely want to hear what they have to say."

Drakken scratched his head. "Well, if they want to talk to us so badly, why are they hiding?"

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "Because, just like with us, they're worried how you'll react when you see them. But unlike us, one of you is capable of blasting them through the nearest wall."

Shego slowly lowered her fist from Kim's face. The other one she kept trained on the shield. "Alright, they drop the shield, I'll drop my glow. But it only stays down if we see both of them within thirty seconds. Otherwise I start blasting again."

"Deal," came the male voice. "But we only appear if the glow vanishes, and I mean all the way."

"Deal," agreed Shego rather reluctantly.

There was a tense moment before the shield disappeared. Then Shego slowly extinguished her glow. Soon as she did, two black suited, hooded figures appeared. One was clearly male, the other clearly female.

"Alright, remove the hoods or I power up again," Shego challenged.

Slowly, Xander and June removed their hoods, at which point Shego glared at Drakken.

"I thought you promised no more cloning," she said with a warning look in her eyes.

Drakken held up his hands in a pitiful defense. "But Shego, I didn't. I promise."

Xander held up his hand. "He's right. We're not clones. We're from the future, and we need to talk to you about what you're planning to do and why you called Team Possible here."

Shego dropped into a fighting stance, although her hands remained normal and unlit. "Alright then, start talking."

Xander sighed. "First of all, you should know that we mean you no harm, and we're not here to start trouble for you or Team Possible. That, and you really shouldn't be fighting in your present condition."

The last remark caught Shego completely off-guard. "How do you…"

Xander smiled. "We know a lot more than you think. For example, we know for a fact that you're carrying twins."

Drakken looked like he was about faint. "Sheila, you told me the idea of twins was just speculation!"

Shego looked lost for what to say. "It…it is…Adamson said that it was still too early to tell."

Xander continued. "Furthermore, we know that your real name is Sheila Marie Godfrey, and that your parents are Heathcliff and Sheridan Godfrey, whom you haven't seen since about a year after the comet hit your tree house."

Shego gulped, her nervousness rising. This young man knew way too much for comfort. However, she did her absolute best to hide her fears with a cold indifference.

"So you've done a lot of digging. You still haven't produced one shred of proof that you are from the future like you say you are."

June stepped forward. "Look at me, Miss Godfrey. Who do I remind you of?"

Shego blew up at a strand of hair hanging in her face. "Well, at first glance I'd have to say you look the Princess here with a blonde wig or after she bleached her hair."

June smiled. "Or after she and her new fiancé have had a kid for a while, right?"

Shego looked from June to Ron to Kim and back to June. Then she burst out laughing. "You mean to tell me that you are the daughter of these two? What name did they saddle you with, I gotta know."

June sighed. "Julie Anne Stoppable. But most people call me June. June Stoppable sounds an awful lot like 'Unstoppable', don't you think?"

Shego smirked. "Yeah, I suppose. And who is this guy, you're boyfriend?"

This time it was June who smirked. "Actually yes. And I'm surprised you haven't yet noticed the family resemblance between my companion and another person in this room."

Shego smiled. "To who, Stoppable?"

Kim laughed a bit. "No. Compare him to the guy on your right."

Shego laughed again, but the laugh quickly faded as she looked from the young man to Drakken and back. She rubbed her eyes and did a double-take between them again. The blue-green skin did look an awful lot like what she pictured the kids she was going to have with Drakken to look like. There was also the way the young man was wearing his hair, in a heroic almost pompadour style that reminded her eerily of a certain blue-wearing person back in Go City.

"There…there is no possible way," she stammered as she fired up her fists, though the glow was rather weak. "You can't possibly be…"

"Yeah, I can," Xander replied as he followed suit, more for posturing than actual response to threat. "My name is Xander Theodore Lipsky, a.k.a. Xander Drakken. Hello, Mom."

* * *

a/n

As always, feel free to leave comments and reviews. They let me know you guys are still reading. :)


	16. Chapter 16

A/N

Chapter 16 is up and running!

Shego and Drakken react to Xander's pronouncement.

Xander reveals a change in the plan.

Kim and Ron run an errand for Drakken and Shego, which leads to some startling revelations about a shadowy character.

Two characters reveal part of what they're up to.

Drakken has a friendly man-to-man talk with Ron before a trip to Go City with Shego.

And finally a pair of talks reveals a couple of kinks in the time line, kinks that need to be untied quickly!

This sitch is heating up in a hurry, and things aren't going according to plan...

And now for the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

Shego laughed again, but the laugh quickly faded as she looked from the young man to Drakken and back. She rubbed her eyes and did a double-take between them again. The blue-green skin did look an awful lot like what she pictured the kids she was going to have with Drakken to look like. There was also the way the young man was wearing his hair, in a heroic almost pompadour style that reminded her eerily of a certain blue-wearing person back in Go City.

"There…there is no possible way," she stammered as she fired up her fists, though the glow was rather weak. "You can't possibly be…"

"Yeah, I can," Xander replied as he followed suit, more for posturing than actual response to threat. "My name is Xander Theodore Lipsky, a.k.a. Xander Drakken. Hello, Mom."

Shego immediately felt a tad woozy, and feel back to sit on a crate. Her glow quickly petered out, and her vision blurred a little. After a minute, the dizziness disappeared, but she still felt slightly sick to her stomach. Looking up at the blue-green face smiling down at her, a single thought crossed her mind again.

_Mom? I'm not his mother! I only found out I was pregnant a few weeks ago!_

Xander smiled at her, and she noticed that he had put his own glow out. "You feeling okay, Mom?"

"I'm not your mother!" Shego snarled, though for some reason she knew that was a lie.

Xander shook his head, then turned and faced Drakken. "Seems like you're handling this better than she is, Dad."

Drakken didn't respond. In fact, he hadn't moved since the moment Xander had revealed his full name. As a result, his hand was frozen halfway up, as if he were in the middle of asking a question. His eyes also looked glazed. June walked up to him and waved a hand in front of his face, then turned with a smile on her face.

"Uh, X, the reason he's not ferociously freaking is because he's completely frozen in shock." To prove it, she again waved a hand in Dr. Drakken's nonresponsive face.

Kim sat beside Shego on the crate. "Shego, I know you still don't believe it. Believe me, I didn't either when they first told us. They proved it by telling me something only I could know. Would that prove it for you too?"

Shego shook her head to clear out the confusion. "I don't know. It might." Though she might be reeling from the shock, there was still a seriously snide and snarky sarcasm to Shego's tone.

Xander sighed. "Hate to do this to you, Mom, but they're the only things I can give you that Kim and Ron couldn't have told me." He took a deep breath. "Prior to the night you got pregnant, you thought the one-handed bra release was a complete myth, but Dad proved you wrong. And Dad, that night was your first time."

Both Drakken and Shego immediately blushed and looked at the floor, while Ron and Kim merely smiled and suppressed laughs. That is, until it hit the newly engaged teens just what Xander had revealed about their foes. When it finally did, the laughs quickly turned to surprised gasps as Kim and Ron stared from Shego to Drakken and back to Shego. Both were blushing

Kim spoke first. "You mean to tell us that…oh my god."

June quickly interjected. "Okay, now that everyone's fully embarrassed and/or shocked, let's get to the matter at hand. Xander and I are here to make sure that everything goes smoothly with the personality switch of his parents. That is the only reason for our presence, and once that's done, we'll leave. We're not here to stop you."

Shego seemed to come out of her trance at that moment. "That's good, because even if you were here to stop it you're not going to. There's a lot riding on this, which you already know if you're really who you say you are."

Xander shook his head. "Look, don't worry about us. Just go ahead with your plans as if we weren't here."

Everyone nodded but Drakken, who was only now seeming to return to life. As the rest exited, Xander placed a hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Ron, I need to speak with you alone."

Ron could see the seriousness in the young man's eyes, so he nodded. "What's going on, Xander?" he asked after the three girls and Dr. Drakken left the room.

Xander looked grim. "Listen, Ron, there's been a slight change in plans. We need you to be the one who uses the device on my parents."

Ron shook his head. "Dude, please call them Drakken and Shego. I'm still having a hard time picturing them doing…that."

Xander half smiled. "Okay. We need you to be the one to use the Attitudinator on Drakken and Shego."

Ron looked at the young man in confusion. "But won't that tip off Lars that something's different? I mean, wasn't the whole point to make him think he succeeded."

Xander nodded. "Yes, but there's something we didn't factor, and it's a major play in this situation. You love Kim, right?"

Ron of course nodded. "More than my own life. I'd do anything to protect her."

Xander looked at him pointedly. "So can you honestly say that you'd be willing to stand there knowing that she's about to have her personality completely reversed? Knowing that for at least some period of time, she's going to be a person completely opposite of the one you just asked to marry you?"

Ron wanted to answer yes, but found the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. "No, I guess I couldn't. I love KP too much to do that."

Xander nodded. "And I know she feels the same way about you. Look, our plan is still for her to turn to evil, but it will only work like it needs to if she is stopping you from using the device. If you try to stop her, Lars will know something's up because you'll react a bit too early. Kim has the reflexes that she'll wait just a tad longer, and won't act until she sees something going wrong with the device."

Ron's shoulders sagged. "But why tell me all this? What if I can't act the part and end up stopping her from interfering?"

Xander sighed. "Ron, I wish there was another way, but just like in the week to come, you're going to have to exercise some self-control, and let her push you out of the way. You have to let her go to the dark side if you want to save the person you fell in love with."

Ron nodded glumly, but already there was a plan forming in his head.

* * *

Out in the main control room, June split off from the other three to scope around for potential problems. Meanwhile, Drakken was explaining his plan to Kim while he brought up details on the large computer view screen.

"The problem is that Hench doesn't trust me or Shego. So we need you to go in with the money and buy the device. It's the only way he won't think it's a double-cross or a bogus deal."

Kim frowned. "Uh, Drakken, I'd love to help you out on that, but Jack Hench doesn't really trust us either."

Shego snorted derisively. "Maybe, Princess, but he puts a lot more faith in your honesty than he does in ours. He even gave us a hard time about our request that he check his stock to see if he had one of the helmets available."

Kim still kept the frown on her face. "Yeah, but isn't he going to wonder a bit about why I'm working for you two? I mean, it's going to seem ferociously suspicious that I'm running errands for someone that I'm frequently at odds with."

Drakken paused and slumped his shoulders. "Yes…I hadn't thought of that."

Kim thought for a moment. "Look, I have an idea, but it involves someone that I'm pretty sure you're not ready to include in this whole personality switching operation."

Shego sighed with annoyance. "And who is that, Kimmie?"

Kim took a deep breath and pulled up a file. "We could involve her."

Shego immediately began waving her hands in the negative. "No way! There is no way we are involving that woman. Like she'd believe me and Dr. D. are serious about this anyway."

Kim shifted her weight to one side. "You know, you're eventually going to have to tell her if you want any semblance of a normal life. Just because you say you've zapped yourselves to the good side doesn't mean she's going to believe it. You've got to provide her with proof, and what better proof than involving her in obtaining the device that will make it all possible."

Shego shook her head emphatically. "But the very idea of working with her makes me sick. I mean, I didn't even like working with Dr. Director or her spy group when I was part of Team Go the first time around."

Kim sighed but pressed on. "I could always act as a liaison between you and Global Justice. They trust us, and if I put myself out there, you might actually get a fair shake on this."

Drakken looked completely shocked. "But why would you do that for us? Especially considering what we've done to you and the buffoon over the years. I mean, several times we actually tried to kill you."

Kim took a deep breath. "That may be, Dr. Drakken, but I also remember what you two were like as good guys, you when your evil got transferred to Ron, and Shego when she was a teacher at Middleton. During those times, both of you were people I was glad to know. Believe it or not, I still have my copy of the photo strip me and Shego took at the mall." Shego got an odd look, and Kim wondered if just maybe the villainess had kept her copy of the pictures as well.

Drakken still wasn't convinced. "Look, I'd be willing to try that if Hench doesn't go for it at first, but if it's all the same I'd rather not involve Global Justice until we have to. I'm not too interested in running into Agent Gerhardt again."

Kim stared at him for a moment. "Don't think I've ever met an Agent Gerhardt before."

Shego smiled icily. "Let's put it this way, Princess. Agent Gerhardt is probably the one law enforcement agent we've ever run into, besides Team Impossible, who expresses an open dislike for you and Stoppable. Even Will Du respects you two, but Gerhardt has nothing but contempt for what you do. According to him, you two should have been packed off to military schools long ago because your too young and you don't follow proper procedures in apprehending villains like us."

Kim was visibly shaken. "But Dr. Director has never said anything about any of her agents disliking us."

Drakken shook himself to rid the creeped-out factor from his system. "Well from what I've heard, if he gets his way, he'll soon replace her as the head of Global Justice. And according to rumor, the first thing he wants to do is ship the buffoon off to some secure facility for holding and study, just to make sure that Zorpox never returns."

Kim felt an instant contempt growing inside of her for this agent she'd never met. "Alright, we'll do it your way. And even if that doesn't work, I may not involve G.J., not if they're going to act like this."

A henchman came forward carrying a silver briefcase, which he handed to Drakken, who in turn handed it to Kim. "Okay, according to Hench's website, the Attitudinator is going to cost at least $750,000. However, knowing Hench, he's going to attempt to charge us much more, so there's $1.5 million in this case. But don't use any more than you have to."

Kim shook her head. "Hold up, how did you two get so much money?"

Shego laughed. "What, you didn't think we did all this world domination stuff for free, did you?"

Kim smirked. "You still have a lot of Ron's original Naco money, don't you?"

Drakken looked off to the side in embarrassment. "Actually, most of that went out the window setting up the operation that immediately followed our kidnapping of him."

Shego rolled her eyes. "Operation Catastrophic Failure a.k.a. Operation Colossal Waste of Money. No, most of our money comes off of mercenary jobs I've picked up on the side. You'd be surprised how many people need an enforcer for a day or two. Normally spent at least one of my two days off from here working for some small-time crime lords or mob bosses, and they paid well. Even worked for that jewel thief with the high pitched voice a few times. Soprano something."

"Falsetto Jones," Kim replied with a smirk. "So what are you two going to do for money once this switch is done?"

Shego smiled. "Well, I still have my degree in Childhood Development and my teaching certification."

"And what about Drakken?" asked Ron as he and Xander entered the room. Kim noticed an odd look on Ron's face, but decided not to ask.

Drakken shrugged. "Well, I've got an idea or two, but nothing firm yet. But I do know we're probably selling most of the lairs that are still in good shape."

"Most of them?" said Kim as she eyed the blue-skinned mad scientist.

Drakken got a look of annoyance on his face. "Oh, c'mon. Do you really expect me to give up my own private Caribbean island? I won't be using it for villainy anymore, but I still want to keep something that most people only dream of having."

"Eh, he's got you there KP," Ron said with a smile.

Shego pointed at the view screen. "Okay, back to the matter at hand. Will you two help us or not?"

Kim nodded. "But only on one condition. We want to be the ones who use the Attitudinator on you."

Shego agreed. "Fine. We can hammer out the details after you get the device."

* * *

The offices of Hench Co. were just as austere as they had been four years earlier. Looking at the place, an outsider still would not have been able to guess that it was the world's premier supplier for villains and evil-doers. However, Kim and Ron knew exactly what the place was, and still operated under the assumption that if Jack Hench and his company ever did anything more than legitimate business Team Possible would shut the place down faster than Jack could blink. However, as long as he maintained an honest business the two would let him go about it, even if that business was dealing primarily with people who wanted to hurt them.

As such, on most of their trips they had to exercise restraint and not get into any confrontations if they recognized someone. This trip they ran into one Big Daddy Brotherson, a man they knew was often involved in shady deals and operations. Kim even suspected the man of being the one to clue Drakken into her dad's cybertronic research, the Hephaestus Project. However, this time the over-large man seemed only interested in hiring some thugs as muscle to guard one of his stashes, so Team Possible ignored him as they entered the lobby carrying the silver case with Drakken and Shego's money.

The receptionist was still the same blonde-haired young man. "Miss Possible. Mr. Stoppable. It's a pleasure to see you again. What can I do for you?"

"We're here to see Jack Hench about a special transaction," Kim replied, setting the silver case on the man's desk.

The young man smiled. "Of course, of course. I'll let Mr. Hench know you're here. If you'll please have a seat."

Kim and Ron both sat on the curved couch, and Ron picked up one of the magazines.

"Hey, KP, this is the same issue of _Macho_ that I took that quiz in when we came here freshman year," Ron exclaimed, holding up the article for her to see.

Kim looked at it and smiled. "Not still obsessing over that whole manliness thing, are you?"

Ron grinned. "No. Just kind of interesting to get a glimpse of how I used to be."

Kim got a mischievous smile. "Why don't you retake it and see what you get?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah. I've got all the proof of manliness I need sitting right here next to me in my bon-diggity fiancée.

Kim kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear. "Good answer. Maybe later I'll reward it properly." She accented what she meant with a slight nibble on his earlobe.

"Booyeah," he said under his breath.

At that moment, Jack Hench himself walked out of the elevator. Just like every other time they'd seen him, he was dressed in a polished black sport coat and tan khaki pants with a purple shirt and lavender tie. Kim and Ron actually had a private joke going that they always met the slick businessman on laundry day since he seemed to own no other outfits.

"Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Have you reconsidered my offer to test the new recruits? Or are you here to steal another of my R&D Departments inventions before I can sell it and make a profit?" Despite the annoyed tone on the last comment he made, he still smiled and reached out to shake their hands.

Kim smiled as she shook his hand. "Sorry about that, Mr. Hench, but that Molecular Transducer wasn't something we could allow out into the world, not with every villain we knew wanting to possess it. And we still aren't interested in helping you, as you say, 'build a better Henchman,' especially when we'll eventually have to face that so called 'better Henchman' in a future mission."

Hench waved it off as he shook Ron's hand. "Well, too bad about the offer, and don't worry about the Transducer so much. I always have to give you two a hard time, you know that. Besides, I trust you a lot more than I trust any of the clients I normally do business with. At least you only stole it because you felt you had to, not because you didn't want to pay for it."

Ron smiled. "Funny you should mention that."

Hench sighed. "Let me guess. You're here on behalf of Drakken and Shego, aren't you?"

Kim nodded. "That's right. And we've got the money right here." She held up the silver case.

Ron grinned. "We even checked it on the way here to make sure it was all legalized tender. They're not trying to pull a fast one."

Hench rolled his eyes. "I might have known they'd try this. Well, follow me. I supposed I'd better show you something."

The businessman led them through the halls towards his backroom storage. Along the way, they passed several research rooms where various new henchman enhancements were being tested. Kim and Ron both glanced at each other, realizing they'd probably have to face every one of the advancements sooner or later. Finally, they reached the backroom, and Jack pointed at the shelf marked "discontinued," where there sat only one Attitudinator helmet covered in dust.

"As you can see, we officially discontinued the Attitudinator helmets. That is our last one, and it doesn't even work now," Hench said with a dismissive gesture.

Ron was puzzled. "Why discontinue it? I thought it was a big seller for you."

Hench scowled. "It was until that Go City electric villain retooled one into a ray. Everyone we talk to now wants that version, and we'd be happy to give it to them, but we can't duplicate Electronique's modifications. And since Ron zapped her to good, she won't help us either. Basically, her improvement killed the whole product."

Kim smiled. "So how much do you want for that one? Or maybe we can buy the blueprints from you. After all, you just said yourself that the product isn't making you money anymore."

Hench sighed. "Well, I guess we could do that. Just as long as you promise you won't turn the blueprints over to Global Justice. The last thing I need is for them to mass produce these things and erase my customer market."

Ron frowned. "Don't worry about that. We're not exactly too trusting of them right now."

Hench smiled. "From what I hear flying around the rumor mills, it sounds like you've got some pretty good reasons to be suspicious of them, especially with the way they've treated you two after all you've done for them."

Kim glanced off to the side in annoyance. "They haven't done anything yet, but certain things have made us question where they're heading, especially if Dr. Director loses control."

Hench suddenly got a very worried look on his face. "Don't tell me Gerhardt is starting to make his move."

Kim narrowed her eyes at the businessman. "What do you know about him?"

Hench started pacing, nervous agitation in every step. "Ivan Gerhardt is probably the most ruthless person I've ever met that doesn't declare himself a villain, although a lot of his interrogation tactics would very easily put him in that category. I've never met him myself, but several of my Henchman trainees have returned from his little interviews and promptly quit the training programs. And it wasn't just that they were scared of him—they were completely different men. Some of my best and toughest have come back scared of their own shadows. Even the candidates for my Enforcer Program, the best and brightest I've turned out, have come back afraid to even jaywalk. If Gerhardt gets control of Global Justice, I'd hate to think of what the world will become, not just for the villains but for the general populous as a whole."

Ron frowned. "Sounds like one seriously bad dude."

Hench paused and looked over his shoulder at the teens. "You've heard tales of what the Spetsnaz and the S.S. Gestapo were like, right? Well, take the worst qualities and rumors of both, mix them together with a little of the tales of the Inquisition, and you have might have a little taste of what law enforcement will become if that man gets the power he seeks. And the worst part is that it'll take something that completely destroys his credibility to remove him from a position where he can still get that power."

Kim and Ron looked at each other with worried glances. It seemed unbelievable that an organization like Global Justice, which housed such great people as Agents Shioda and Du and compassionate leaders like Betty Director would also employ people as barbaric as Ivan Gerhardt sounded. If that was really what the spy network was like, maybe they should seriously reconsider becoming full agents.

Hench didn't seem to notice their anxiety. "Enough about him, though. Let's do business. I'll give you both this last helmet and the blueprints for say, half a million apiece. $1 Million total."

Kim nodded. "That sounds fair to us."

She opened the case and handed Hench $1 Million from inside. Ron picked up the helmet, and Hench handed Kim the blueprints from inside a filing cabinet. As they headed back towards the lobby, Hench clapped them both on the back.

"You know, my offer of compensation for testing my latest Henchmen is always on the table if you ever need the money."

Kim shook her head. "No thank you. Besides, if we started testing them we'd know how to beat them easier when we eventually faced them in the field."

"Exactly," said Hench with a sly smile.

Ron scratched his head. "But wouldn't that put you out of business?"

Hench grinned again. "If the two of you beating my Henchmen was enough to put me out of business, don't you think I would already be out on the streets?"

"Good point," Ron replied.

"See you two again sometime. Hopefully we can do more honest business then as well."

As they exited the building and got in the car, Ron cast a wary eye at the floor where Hench's office was. "So what do you think the odds are that Hench was telling us the truth about this Agent Gerhardt?"

Kim shook her head as she put the Sloth in flight mode, causing it to do a VTOL ascent before streaking off. "I'm not really sure, Ron. The more I hear about this guy, the more I think we might need to get some information on him from Dr. Director."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so, but she wasn't exactly giving in the information the last time I talked to her in person."

Kim looked at him. "Before we talked to Channel 6 that day? She and Will Du seemed pretty open to me."

Ron shook his head. "Not before you came out they weren't. They were actually pretty evasive, and wouldn't even tell me or our parents what agent leaked the story about the Lorwardian attack."

Kim turned her gaze forward. She had to admit Ron was right. Dr. Director had never been very forthcoming with information, but ever since the invasion she had seemed even more defensive and elusive with her answers than normal, never fully revealing something until one of them pressed her for it. It was almost as if she were trying to protect them from something.

"Maybe we could ask Will about it," Ron suggested after a few minutes of silence.

Kim shook her head. "No. He already stuck his neck out for us and for her when he relayed that message to you. Plus, I'm willing to bet that his actions might have caused someone to put a tail on him, or at the very least watch him more closely, particularly if this Gerhardt is as cunning and ruthless as Hench and Shego seem to believe he is. But maybe Agent Shioda can help us."

Ron smiled. "Hey, yeah. She must have some idea of what he's like."

Kim grinned, but then the grin sort of disappeared. "Hey, speaking of Agent Shioda, I wonder if she's Hirotaka's sister."

Ron nodded. "She is. Sensei confirmed it when I met with him through astral projection a few days after the debriefing. He also told me that we might see Hirotaka and Yori during the course of their mission."

Kim cocked an eyebrow. "What mission?"

Ron shook his head. "He wouldn't tell me anything other than I needed to make sure I told him if anybody suspicious-looking tried to challenge me to a fight. And then only if they vanished before I found out who they were."

Kim sighed. "Still pretty cryptic, isn't he?"

Ron smiled. "Way of the Ninja, KP. Way of the Ninja."

* * *

At that moment, in one of the darkest and shadiest parts of Osaka, Japan, two ninja were engaged in a fierce battle with a large group of highly-trained thugs. The two young people were outnumbered by more than thirty, but so far they had maintained the advantage.

"Yori-Chan, I do not believe these gentlemen are as content as we are with simple knockouts," Hirotaka remarked as he roundhouse kicked one thug into another three.

Yori was dancing around and cutting the air in front of the thugs with her fighting fan, doing her best to merely back them up. "Yes, I agree Hirotaka-San. However, Sensei instructed us that we are to avoid any bloodshed if at all possible, lest we emulate the Snakes we are trying to bring to the surface."

The young man deflected and caught another punch, using the thug's momentum to flip him into a dumpster. "I understand that, but these thugs do not appear to have any knowledge of the Viper's movements. I would even venture to assume that they are merely hired mercenaries."

Yori nodded as she swept the legs out from under two of the men before vaulting over a third. "This may be true, but we do know for a fact that the Orchid Staff is housed near here for safekeeping."

Hirotaka easily dodged a kick thrown directly at his neck by simply stepping back three inches. "I still do not understand why Sensei chose to leave that thing intact, especially after the way the traitor betrayed us the first time. For that matter, I do not understand why Master Sensei did nothing more than expel the traitor."

Yori smiled as she leaped over three charging thugs, all of whom could not stop and crashed into the wall behind her. "If you must know, Stoppable-san requested that Fukushima be spared to live his life in shame, a far greater punishment than any form of death. Also, Yamanouchi is a school of the Light, not of the Shadow or of the Darkness."

Hirotaka grinned as he sent the final conscious thug sailing into a pile of trash, where he stayed without moving. "You are of course right, my Lily of the Fields."

Yori rolled her eyes and smiled as they surveyed the aftermath of the skirmish. "If you do not soon ask me to have tea or dinner with you, I am going to have to ask that you stop referring to me by that name."

Hirotaka bowed as they continued towards the building they had been heading towards before the battle. "It will be my honor."

* * *

Within no time, Kim and Ron arrived back at the Caribbean Islands. As they entered the lair, they found Drakken and Shego in the midst of a heated argument.

"I still say I should go alone, Shego. It is easier for one person to remain inconspicuous than two."

Shego laughed. "You don't even know the meaning of the word inconspicuous. Plus, you have my brothers to consider."

Drakken huffed. "Oh please. They will never be able to catch the great Dr. Drakken."

Shego rolled her eyes. "Uh, hello? The only reason they've never come after us is because I'm their sister and I kept redirecting all our plans that would have hit there. Why do you think the Go City Bueno Nacho restaurants never got any shipments of the Lil' Diablo robots? Besides, isn't it going to look a little suspicious that your are visiting a reformed villain in Go City Max?"

Drakken eyed her coolly. "And what makes you think that it won't look suspicious if both of us visit her?"

It was at that point that they spied Kim and Ron, who were standing there not knowing how to respond.

Shego smiled. "Alright, let's ask them." She turned towards the two teens. "Who do you think should go talk to Electronique: me, Drew, or both of us?"

Kim smiled hesitantly. "Actually, I think you should both go. Shego needs to talk to her brothers about what you're about to do, and Drakken needs to be the one to talk to Electronique so that you can make sure you get the correct instructions for adapting this Attitudinator into another Reverse Polarizer."

Ron grinned. "Plus, the two of you could have a nice little romantic weekend in between that."

Shego cocked her head and smiled. "Well, I suppose we could use a short vacation with just the two of us."

Drakken agreed. "That is true. Plus, we could go see that ballet you've been wanting to see, Sheila. But I am not going anywhere near your brothers right now. Hego will probably want to talk to me about 'intentions' and all that, and I don't need to hear that speech again."

Shego rolled her eyes again. "Fine. Besides, I have a feeling I need to smooth things over with them before they meet you in person anyways. Got a lot to make up for if we're really going to do this."

As they headed off to pack for their overnight trip, Kim found June and Xander, who were scouring the lair for signs of where Future Lars might have stashed his present-day self. She could tell from the way they were acting that something wasn't right, and hoped the news she had would cheer them up. She motioned them into an empty room, and told them about her and Ron's trip to Hench Co., as well as the deal Jack Hench had made with them.

June looked at her wide-eyed. "You got what?"

"The original blueprints for the Hench Co. Attitudinator," Kim replied as she proudly held out the plans for her future daughter to see.

"But how?" exclaimed a surprised Xander.

Kim smiled. "Hench said that they'd discontinued the product, and offered the last helmet and the plans as one package."

Xander grinned and started up his glow power. "So then let's destroy them now."

Kim shook her head as she rerolled the blueprints. "We can't just yet. The helmet he gave us needs to be repaired, and Drakken's also going to need these once he gets the modification directions from Electronique."

Xander sighed as he switched off his fists. "Very well. Just be thankful I'm the one here and not my sister."

June laughed. "I hear that." At Kim's odd look, she added, "Kimono is a lot like Shego is at this point in time when it comes to the temper area. She would have probably vaporized those plans the moment you showed them to her."

Kim smiled. "Speaking of which, when are you going to tell Drakken that he's got a daughter coming?"

Xander sighed again. "Did you see the look on his face when he found out I was his son? Now imagine the shock of finding out he's going to have a daughter. If I can at all avoid it, I'm not going to reveal that little fact to him. He can just find out when she's born."

Kim laughed a bit. "Yeah, I can just imagine how he's going to react. I'd almost pay to see it."

Meanwhile, in another part of the base, Ron found himself the target of a very unnerving series of questions, courtesy of a man who could never seem to remember his name.

"I'm serious, buffoon. I don't have the slightest idea how to 'woo' a girl."

Ron shook his head. "Look, dude, first off my name is Ron Stoppable. I don't know why you can't ever remember it. Secondly, Shego's already with you, so she knows what she's got. You don't have to worry about impressing her."

Drakken sat against the wall in the hallway outside of his own quarters. Originally, he had tried to get the young man to go in with him, but the boy had refused, saying it was "Ewww….gross."

"Look, I don't have your confidence when it comes to women. Plus, I don't know the first thing about romance."

Ron sighed. "Okay, look at it this way Dr. Drakken. She's chosen to be with you. If she's anything like Kim, and I suspect those two are a lot more alike than they will ever admit, she wouldn't have done that if she didn't think you were worth it. That right there says something about what kind of relationship the two of you have."

Drakken looked at the young man. "What does it say?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know, it just says something, okay? I mean, think about all the times she came back to work for you, despite having better job offers. I know for a fact that Señor Senior, Sr. is still willing to pay her serious money to tutor Junior in villainy, yet every time she's worked with them she has always left and come back to you. Or what about her working with your cousin, Motor Ed? Every time, she comes back to you. Despite the fact that she could probably get a job with any bad guy in the world, and the fact that her addition might mean the difference for them in trying to take over the world, she always came back here."

Drakken stared at the floor. "Yeah, to get some cheap laughs. You know, she was always surprised when one of my schemes started to work, and every time they failed she made fun of it."

Ron sighed. "Okay, dude, every relationship has got to start somewhere. Besides, I never once heard her laugh as much when her plans with Junior or Motor Ed went south as I've heard her laugh when your plans fall apart. I don't think either of you realizes just how much you can make her laugh, and that's a key component of any relationship. If I didn't have the ability to make KP laugh, I'm not sure we'd even be together, much less engaged."

Drakken looked up with a small smile. "So you're saying that her laughing is a good thing."

Ron grinned. "Exactly. Now as for the romance, just go with what you think she'd like. The very fact that your trying to do something nice for her, even if it falls flat on its face, will make an impression. I mean, take this past Valentine's Day. I must have tried a dozen things to make it special for Kim, but it kept falling apart. Finally we ended up at Bueno Nacho on Valentine's Eve, and had what was probably one of the most romantic moments we've ever had, simply because the feeling was there. Don't try to impress her with who you are and what you can do, just be yourself. Either she's going to like it or she won't."

Drakken's face fell. "So she might not like it now."

Ron took a deep breath. "Okay, tell me about the night you two got together. Not about the getting together, cause that would just be gross, but about the evening leading up to that. What did you do?"

Drakken shrugged. "Well, we just ate dinner and danced. Maybe talked for a bit."

Ron shook his head. "Gotta be more specific, man."

Drakken sighed. "Well, I suggested that we treat it like a real date, and both get dressed up. Then I knocked on her door at 7:00."

"What was she wearing?" Ron interrupted.

Drakken smiled. "A dark colored dress that looked black when you looked at it normal but looked green when it caught the light just right. And dark green eye shadow and a shinier version of her black lipstick."

Ron nodded. "Go on."

Drakken seemed to be staring off into space, as if he could see the whole evening on a movie screen. "We had dinner in the hearth room, with the radio playing some jazz music softly in the background. I even dug out those old silver candleholders Mother gave me and rose red candles. Had the best henchman chef we have make up some pheasant and a moist chocolate devil's food cake. Added a red wine to give it some class. Then after dinner I turned the radio to a pop/soul station, and asked her if she wanted to dance. So we did that for a while. Then we ended up at her room, and the rest you can probably guess."

Ron smiled. "What did you talk about during dinner?"

Drakken sighed. "Anything. Everything. Nothing. Just whatever came to mind."

Ron clapped the older man on his shoulder. "See, that right there is a perfect example of romance. I'll bet that if someone were to ask Shego to name her five most romantic nights, that would be right there in the thick of the list."

Drakken shrugged. "But I wasn't even trying to be romantic. I just wanted to treat Sheila like I felt a lady like her should be treated."

Ron got the biggest smile on his face. "Dr. Drakken, that right there is the basis of all romance. You already see her as special, and you just told me what happened when you treated her that way."

Drakken smiled. "So you're saying that all I have to do is picture her as special and treat her accordingly?"

"Exactly. That's all it is. That's all I do with Kim. Sure, sometimes it falls flat or misses the mark, but I know there are times I hit the romantic part of Kim's heart directly just from the way she looks at me. Let me ask you this: do you want Shego to be happy?"

Drakken leaned his head back against the wall. "More than anything."

Ron smiled. "Then just follow that mindset. Do your best to make her happy no matter what, and I guarantee you will do exactly that."

* * *

Two hours later, Drakken and Shego took off in one of their hovercrafts, heading for Go City. However, before they left, they insisted that Team Possible, Xander, and June spend the night at the island inside the base since they would be back the next day. The group at first objected, but eventually they accepted. However, before Drakken and Shego left, Team Possible made sure to learn which rooms belonged to the couple.

As they watched the hovercraft streak out over the sunset sky, the four began contemplating where they were going to stay for the night. Despite Drakken and Shego's insistence that they stay inside the lair, none of them wanted to give Lars a chance to make an early move. So it was decided that they'd stay outside. Xander and June were perfectly happy staying in the cave again, but for some reason he couldn't explain, Ron had strong objections to that. It was finally decided that June and Kim would take the convertible beds inside the Sloth, and Xander and Ron would use sleeping bags out on the beach. Kim at first objected, saying that the guys would be exposed to storms, but Ron assured her that if even a drop of rain fell he and Xander would come up to safety and shelter of the cave. With the sleeping arrangements set, the girls bunked down in the Sloth, and the guys got comfortable on the beach. However, none of them could sleep, so they instead turned to talking. The result was a pair of very interesting conversations.

…

Kim stretched out on the converted front seat. "So, how long have you two actually been seeing each other?"

June smiled as she reclined on the converted back seat bed. "Well, what Xander said about you guys not letting me date until I could drive was actually true. Something about you wanted me to be able to drive myself out of a bad sitch if I need to. So I guess it's been almost two years now. What about you and Dad? Sorry, I mean Ron."

Kim grinned. "It's fine. Now that me and Ron are officially engaged, I guess I'm not as creeped out by you calling him Dad."

June rolled her eyes in relief. "Oh good. I felt weird calling him by his first name. So, how long have you two been together now?"

Kim blinked in surprise. "Didn't we ever tell you about this?"

June smiled. "Yeah, but it's a bit more interesting to hear it from a teenager's point of view."

Kim shrugged. "Well, we've known each other since our first day of preschool. He was my first true friend. But as far as dating goes, that didn't start until the night of Junior Prom and the final fight of the Lil' Diablos mission."

"What happened?" June asked, enthrallment in her voice.

Kim smiled. "I was feeling pretty down and out because I'd just found out that…_Erik_…was a Synthodrone sent by Drakken to play with my emotions, and was about ready to give up. But Ron wouldn't let me, and told me then that were better guys for me. I still remember the words he used: 'Out there. In here.' Looking back it seems so corny, but at that moment, I thought it was one of the most romantic ways I'd ever heard for a guy to tell me he loved me."

June sighed. "That does sound special. I wish I could say that's how me and Xander got together, but it's not."

Kim leaned up on her elbows. "So how did you two get started?"

June shifted her head to the side. "If things hadn't changed in the timeline, I couldn't tell you. But since they have, I don't know what will happen, and I can tell you what originally happened. It was a family barbecue when I was eight, and you and Dad invited the Lipskys, mainly because you were trying to help them reintegrate into normal society so that they could have a normal life. Anyways, during the course of the party, a villain that you haven't met yet attacked with his forces. Dad was fighting the villain, you were fighting one of his…lackeys I guess would be a good word…Shego was fighting another, and Drakken was fighting a third."

Kim snorted in amusement. "Wait. Drakken was fighting?"

June nodded. "Yep. He picked up working out as one of his hobbies to replace the world domination plans. He's actually pretty good. Anyways, Xander and Kimono were protecting me and Ronnie at your orders because we weren't anywhere close to being able to do it ourselves yet. Then a fifth and sixth lackey came out of nowhere to go after us. Unfortunately, neither X or Kimmie could handle one alone, so they were tag-teaming while trying to protect both me and Ronnie. But somehow the two of us got separated, and while X and Kimmie were dealing with Lackey number five, number six grabbed me and took off. Xander flew into a fury, defeated the one he and his sister were dealing with, and came after the one that had me. It took him maybe six seconds to take out the one who had me, but in the process I twisted my ankle. He tended my ankle, and then carried me back home. After that, we started exchanging emails and got to be really good friends, to the point he was there for me after my first pseudo-boyfriend dumped me when I was fifteen. Then, when I hit sixteen, he asked me out, and we've been together ever since."

Kim nodded. "Most of that I get, but what do you mean by 'pseudo-boyfriend?'"

June sighed. "Well, since you and Dad, mostly Dad, wouldn't let me date yet, we never had a real relationship, but we basically were boyfriend/girlfriend in that we went to parties and school dances together, and hung out a lot. It was kind of like you and Dad used to do except that we admitted to everyone exactly what we were. But he dumped me because he got tired of waiting for what he called a 'real date' where we could go out by ourselves."

Kim shook her head. "No offense, but it sounds like he so wasn't worth your time."

June laughed heartily. "Looking back, he really wasn't. As a matter of fact, he never graduated because he made some mistakes, and he also got one of my ex-best friends pregnant."

Kim grinned. "Guess it worked out then. By the way, who is he?"

June shook her head. "Can't tell you that. I know what you might do if did," she said with a giggle.

Kim joined her, and soon the car was filled with their laughs.

…

Out on the beach, Xander and Ron stared up at the stars.

"Man, not a cloud in the sky. We sure don't get view like this where I live," remarked Xander.

Ron shifted up onto one elbow. "But I thought Drakken and Shego were going to keep this island?"

Xander smiled. "Oh, they will, but it's more of a vacation home. We actually live somewhere else."

Ron looked back up at the stars. "Where's that?"

The blue-green skinned young man laughed. "Trying to get a bead on where your daughter wants to go, huh?"

Ron sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

Xander laughed again. "Let's just say that if things had gone like they were originally supposed to, you could probably give Julie's grandfather a run for his money in the protectiveness department."

Ron was confused. "What do you mean by that?"

The young man sighed. "Unfortunately, the mere fact that me and Jules are here is messing with the time stream. Things have already happened that change the future a bit. For example, Dementor was supposed to have challenged you and Kim to a fight in Middleton earlier this week, and that didn't happen because he saw us leaving Mom and Dad's lair in the Carpathian Mountains and I guess thought we were you. We didn't even realize he was following us until after we left Lisbon the following morning."

Ron stretched a bit. "So he came after you instead of us. What's the big deal?"

Xander sighed. "Kim got hurt during a fight with Adrena Lynn recently and got put out of commission for a few days, right? Well, during that time was when Dementor attacked. You ended up going against him alone, but he had Kim's battle suit, so you were having trouble. That was supposed to be the deciding factor for Wade giving you your battle suit, and in the process you destroyed Kim's Mark I battle suit to stop Dementor. But now, Dementor still has that suit, and is probably making repairs as we speak. Meaning you're still going to have to fight him, but that he'll be better prepared this time than he would have been. I can't tell you the outcome of that because it's not showing up on our C.C.s, but I can almost guarantee that it's going to be tougher than it originally was."

Ron shook his head as he sat up to recline on his elbows. "So that means that things might be different than what you know, right?"

Xander nodded. "There's no doubt about that, but me and Julie won't know the extent of the change until we get back. Right now, the change isn't big enough to register. Plus there's a choice that hasn't been made yet that's skewing the data so that we can't get a good read."

Ron gulped silently, a move that Xander didn't see in the darkness. "What choice is that?"

Xander sighed. "All Jules and me have been able to figure out is that one of the seven major players in this little operation is debating whether or not to do something, and that choice is going to affect the outcome of this sitch. Trouble is, we can't pinpoint who. It could even be me or her, though we don't think it's either one of us. But that still leaves you, Kim, Dad, Mom, and Lars, and it could be any one of you. Not to mention the future repercussions of that choice."

Ron frowned. "So in other words, this choice could be either a good one or a bad one."

Xander nodded nervously. "Exactly. Someone is going to make a choice, and that decision will have a drastic effect on what kind of future me and Julie end up going back to." At that point the young man went silent, staring up at the dark night sky.

Ron stared up at the stars as well, contemplating what to do. If what Xander had said was true, then Ron needed to seriously rethink his plans. Of course, it wasn't that he'd decided to go through with his idea, but the chance that he would was still very real. More than anything, Ron wanted to protect his fiancée Kim from whatever may be coming at them. However, what if what he was had been planning to do made things even worse than the apocalyptic future that Xander and June were here to prevent? Even worse, Ron couldn't shake the feeling that if he didn't go through with his plan, he might lose Kim forever.

It was a restless night for the blonde-haired young man from Middleton, filled with horrifying dreams and happiness-shattering visions about nightmarish outcomes. Even worse, he kept hearing a very familiar voice, one he'd hoped to never hear again.

* * *

a/n

Just so you guys know, I'm about to leave town on Monday for about a week, meaning there probably won't be any updates during that time. Hopefully I can get a chapter or two written during that time and have an update ready when I get back . *crosses fingers*

Anyways, I always appreciate reviews and comments :)


	17. Chapter 17

A/N

Chapter 17 is up and running. I'm back from vacation, and the chapters are just waiting to roll. :) And now to the story.

Both Kim and Ron are beginning to worry about this sitch, and it's starting to show, while in Go City Drakken and Shego take care of business, then enjoy a special night for two.

June has some private reflection, and then is tasked with telling Kim about the change in the plans.

Preparations are made for the transfer, and Lars does what he came to do.

A confrontation at Global Justice headquarters leads to an icy showdown between Dr. Director and Gerhardt.

The final countdown to the transfer takes place, with a few surprising revelations from key players.

And finally, the long-awaited operation begins....but who said things were ever that easy for Team Possible?

This sitch is coming to a head, and it could spell trouble for everyone involved.

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

***Also, a very special thank you goes out to **jkrust78**, who pointed out a clerical error I made in choosing locations--Osaka does work a lot better than Kyoto for setting this thing.

* * *

Xander nodded nervously. "Exactly. Someone is going to make a choice, and that decision will have a drastic effect on what kind of future me and Julie end up going back to." At that point the young man went silent, staring up at the dark night sky.

Ron stared up at the stars as well, contemplating what to do. If what Xander had said was true, then Ron needed to seriously rethink his plans. Of course, it wasn't that he'd decided to go through with his idea, but the chance that he would was still very real. More than anything, Ron wanted to protect his fiancée Kim from whatever may be coming at them. However, what if what he was had been planning to do made things even worse than the apocalyptic future that Xander and June were here to prevent? Even worse, Ron couldn't shake the feeling that if he didn't go through with his plan, he might lose Kim forever.

It was a restless night for the blonde-haired young man from Middleton, filled with horrifying dreams and happiness-shattering visions about nightmarish outcomes. Even worse, he kept hearing a very familiar voice, one he'd hoped to never hear again.

………………………………………………………

Unbeknownst to either group, a shadowy figure watched them from a hidden perch on a cliff halfway between the beach and the visible base of the lair some seven stories above it. Lars hadn't liked the situation, not from the moment Team Possible arrived. According to every piece of data he had, Drakken and Shego should have ordered that Attitudinator helmet, not asked the teen heroes to go pick it up. And who were these two other kids, who seemed to be around the group at every turn? From the way everyone was acting, even though it was subtle, it was almost as if they knew something was up. It was all Lars could do to act normal and avoid attention.

Plus, his present-day counterpart was due to run out of energy bars and water within two days time, and then what would he do? He couldn't very well knock himself out again, but things were not going as they should have. Perhaps he'd miscalculated something, or maybe he'd arrived too early. Whatever the case, his timing would now have to be absolutely perfect to pull this off. Of course, if there was one person in Drakken's entire organization, besides that over-hyped mercenary Shego (who couldn't even handle one simple cheerleader), Lars was confident he was that one. All it would really take would be a simple distraction, with approximately sixty seconds needed for the rewiring, and the trap would be set. Drakken and Shego would be out of the picture, and the organization would thrive under the glorious banner of the dark-turned Kim Possible. And best of all, Lars would be there at the forefront, biding his time until he himself could steal the reins out of the hands of that annoying, air-headed cheerleader! And then the reign of evil would truly begin.

Grinning maniacally, he allowed himself a time-honored villain tradition: the evil gloat. "You worthless slugs have no idea what you're in for. Especially you, Miss Possible. For when I take command, you will fall like the rest of them."

………………………………………………………

Down in the Sloth, Kim awoke with a start in a cold sweat and looked around. June was fast asleep on the backseat bed, and looking out at the beach, Kim could see Ron and Xander, both of them showing the slow rise and fall of chests that indicated a deep sleep. Or at least Xander was; Ron, on the other hand, kept tossing and turning, as though dealing with some terrible demon of his dreams, or maybe one of the phobias he still had trouble with. Either way, it was enough for Kim to feel at least partway safe. She guessed that she had merely awoken as an empathetic response to Ron's nightmares. However, as she lay back down, she couldn't shake the eerie feeling she got, or get her weird-ar to stop going off like a thousand alarm clocks. Eventually however, she re-succumbed to sleep, though it was anything but a restful one.

* * *

Shego and Drakken spent the better part of the afternoon apart. Shego spent a lot of the time at Go Tower, talking with the Wegos and with Hego. Mego never showed up once, although that didn't really surprise her in the least. What did surprise her was Hego's response to what she and Drakken were planning.

"Sis, I'm glad you want to do what's right to protect your unborn children, but this isn't the right way to do it. The right way, the Team Go Way, would be to come to this turnabout normally." The whole time he was talking, both Shego and the twins stared at him incredulously.

Wesley spoke up first. "But Hector, if this brings her around to good anyway, why wouldn't this work? I for one say she should do it."

Hego took a deep breath. "Now Werner…"

"I'm Wesley."

"Sorry. Wesley. It wouldn't really be Sheila doing this. Just like it wasn't really you and Werner who stole all that food from the Go Eat Café when Electronique zapped us."

Werner also spoke up in his sister's defense. "But Hector, you were the one who said, and I quote, 'Sis, it's good to see you on the side of justice, and all things right and good again.' That was with Sis under the influence of the Reverse Polarizer as well. Are you saying that you'd rather have her on the side of evil than have her change herself to good?"

Hego pulled at the neck of his Team Go Uniform. "No, no, I'm not saying that. I just don't want this to be like then, when we thought she had changed but really hadn't."

Shego sighed. "Look, Hector. I'm not saying everything's going to be perfect between us, but I came here just the same to let you know what was going on."

Werner smiled at her. "So does this mean you're going to rejoin Team Go?"

Shego ruffled her younger brother's hair. "Sorry, but I'm not ready to do that yet. If anything, that whole Electronique business convinced me I'm not prepared to rejoin the ranks of the heroes, at least not right now. I mean, I may feel different after the switch, but even then, I've still got almost nine months before I'll be able to do much of anything. Don't forget, I'm carrying your nephews here." She patted her stomach for emphasis. "And speaking of which, if we do move here, can you guys promise to give Dr. D. a chance to prove he's changed?"

Hego sighed. "Sis, I want to believe you, and I'm trying to want to believe his intentions are noble. And I really hate to say this, but if he does anything, even a simple thing like, I don't know, running a red light while driving, there would be an instant call from the citizens for us to apprehend him and bring him to justice."

Shego smiled. "We know that, but we need somewhere where we can lay low in case someone does come after us. And…well…we were possibly thinking…"

Wesley snapped his fingers. "You were wondering if you could stay here in Go Tower in your old quarters, right?"

Shego nodded. "That's right. And we promise we won't do anything."

Hego pursed his lips and blew. "Well, I'll go ahead and give my okay, but before you move in I want to talk to both of you after the switch has been completed. I just need to make sure this is legitimate."

Shego smiled coyly. "Oh, it will be. As a matter of fact, Andy is over at Go City Max right now talking to Electronique about retooling the last Attitudinator helmet into a Reverse Polarizer."

* * *

"Nnnngg…can't you give me some clues as to what you did? I promise we only want to use it on ourselves." Drakken was basically pleading with the woman sitting across from him at the prison yard table.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow such a machine to re-emerge on the streets of Go City or anywhere else. It could be used to hurt too many innocent people, and I won't be the cause of mass destruction," Electronique replied with a sweet smile, her hair sparking continuously.

Drakken dragged a hand down his face. "Look, Electronique, if you do this, you'll be helping two villains reform just like you did. We only want to do what's right here. Please tell me how to re-wire this thing into a Reverse Polarizer." He pushed a diagram of the Attitudinator across the table towards her.

The woman smiled and stood. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I simply cannot help you." Then she turned on her heel and started to leave.

Drakken decided to pull out the trump card. "Listen, the reason we want to do this is so that we don't have to worry about our kids being taken away from us."

Electronique stopped in her tracks, then turned and practically sprinted back to the table. "Shego is pregnant? That is why you want to do this to yourselves?"

Drakken nodded. "Yes. We may have been villains most of our lives, but neither one of us want our children to have to live that life. We want to give them at least a halfway decent chance at a normal life."

The electro ex-villain smiled sweetly. "Well, if it is to give children a good home and a decent family, of course I will help."

With that, she immediately pulled the diagram towards her and began to make notes all around it. Several times Drakken had to stop her and ask what certain directions meant, but for the most part he understood exactly what she was writing. When she finished, she looked up at him and flashed another brilliantly sweet smile.

"Just be sure to bring those kids by so that I can see them."

Drakken nodded and rolled up the plans. "Thank you, and we will."

* * *

That evening, Shego and Drakken checked into the Go City Plaza Hotel. They changed into formal clothes quickly, and headed to Go City Music Hall, where they saw Shego's favorite ballet, _Giselle_, which told the story of a young peasant girl who protects her lover. The entire performance, even during the applause, Shego kept both her arms wrapped tightly around Drakken's right arm. The notion was not lost on him, nor was the fact that Shego, the woman who so rarely shed a single tear even when seriously injured, couldn't stop the tears of enjoyment as the performance played out.

They ate dinner on the deck of a relatively low key yet still refined restaurant, soft moonlight and candlelight seeming to drown out the harshness of the nearby streetlights. Drakken even ordered a glass apiece of a very delicate white wine. The entire dinner they talked again of anything, everything, and nothing. However, there was one topic they did their best to avoid, until finally Drakken found he had to ask.

"Sheila, I know we've talked about this, but how do you really feel about having kids?"

Shego's smile disappeared, and she started absentmindedly picking at a meal she had been thoroughly enjoying. "I don't know, Andy. I mean, every girl, even the evil ones, has this picture of how her life is going to go. From the time you're about five or six, you start getting ideas about what you want. Then, when the comet hit, everything changed. I was only fourteen, but suddenly I'm having to juggle a social life, school, and racing about Go City fighting all sorts of whack jobs. Then soon after I got my college degree at 22, I got tired of playing the hero and came to work for you. Now here we are, six years later, and I'm carrying your children."

Drakken wasn't sure what to feel. "But…umm…is it something you wanted?"

Shego breathed out her nose in a solemn, audible puff. "I honestly don't know. I mean, sure, I thought about it. And there were several times when you've walked in on me in the past that I sort of hoped that you wouldn't just walk right back out. But honestly, it never really was something I gave a lot of serious thought to. I mean…"

Drakken reached over and placed his hand on hers. "Would you rather it hadn't happened?"

Shego shook her head but still didn't look him in the eyes. "No, I'm glad it happened. It's just not the way I pictured it, alright? I always thought that if you and I got together it would be because we developed real feelings for each other, not because we were too drunk off of the wine to care. I…I really don't know…"

Drakken smiled softly. "Sheila, if you're wondering about it, I've been curious about this since that whole Moodulator fiasco. Honestly, until that happened, I'm not sure if I saw you as a woman. I hired you originally because you were smart and you were tough to the point you wouldn't take anything off of anybody, something no other potential candidate could offer; the seduction skills were just a bonus since I wasn't sure I'd ever have a purpose for them. I'm ashamed now that I never saw you as anything more than the top agent in my organization up to that point. But then when you started flirting with me, it changed how I saw you. You weren't just Shego, you were more than that. I know I'd called us an evil family before, but it wasn't until that moment that I even started to consider entertaining the idea that we could maybe be more than just employer and employee."

Shego finally looked up at him. "And what did you see when that happened?"

Drakken looked down and mumbled something at the tablecloth.

"What?"

"I…umm…I started to…picture…picture you holding…holding kids…in a…a good way…like, like you loved them." He sort of flinched a bit, as if expecting her to suddenly blast him.

Shego smiled. "To tell you the truth, Andy, I started doing the same thing with you. I kept thinking it was just the aftereffects of those little microchips of Bortal's, but the thoughts never would go away. Then, when I got turned to good, I thought any chance we had flew right out the window. So I went out with that teacher at Kimmie's school, but I couldn't stop thinking about you no matter how hard I tried. And when Warhok and Warmonga took you, I tried to tell myself I just wanted you back so I didn't have to job hunt, but even Warhok, who had only just met me, saw what I wouldn't accept. And that was that I was not just physically attracted to you but emotionally as well. I just…I don't know how to respond to that."

Drakken nodded. "I know what you mean. It took this little flower on my neck following my subconscious and wrapping you up against me during the U.N. ceremony for me to accept that what I really wanted was a chance to maybe…well…a chance to maybe find out if what I'm feeling for you is real."

Shego smiled, a dazzlingly coy smile that instantly set Drakken's blood on fire. "And what have you decided so far?"

The blue-skinned man grinned. "That I'm thinking we might want to get the rest of this meal to go and head over to the hotel for some alone time. I suspect tomorrow might be the day we pull the switch, and I'm wanting to find out just how bad you are before that happens. That is, if you want to."

If it was possible, Shego's smile got even wider and sexier, sending her date's blood pressure spiking through the roof. "I don't think you're ready for how naughty I can get, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

Once their food was in to-go boxes, they couldn't get back to their hotel room fast enough.

* * *

June was up before Kim ever stirred the next morning. However, it wasn't the good kind of waking up; it was the kind where she knew something was going to go wrong that day before she even sat up. The feeling was very unnerving, because the only things she could picture going wrong were how her still-teenage parents were going to react to whatever sitch they faced. Quietly, she slipped out of the Sloth and headed down to the water's edge. Glancing around, she spotted Ron still snoring in his sleeping bag, but Xander was nowhere to be seen. She glanced around, and finally spotted him on a small outcropping halfway up the cliff, crouched on his knees as if he were examining something of importance on the surface of the rock. Sighing with relief, she noted his position and headed around the beach a short ways to a small cove where she knew neither he or anyone from the base would see her.

Doing a quick glance around just to be sure no one was watching, she pressed a button on her wrist, causing her battle suit to begin to mercurially slide up her legs. However, it didn't stop there, instead retracting all the way into the wrist Kimmunicator portion on her wrist, leaving her in nothing but her panties and bra. Even as young as he was right now, her dad would probably have a fit at her if he saw her next remove those, but damnit she needed a bath, and there was no way she was going to walk around for the rest of the day in wet underwear. She quickly placed the garments on a rock near the water's edge and dove into the cool water.

"Ahhhhh," she called out softly as she felt the dirt and grime from a week-long-stakeout melt off her skin.

The swim/bath felt good, even if the ocean waters were a bit cool since it was still barely past dawn. She knew from experience that the salt from the sea water was going to do murder to her hair, but at this point in time she could have cared less. June may have been a tough, world-saving teen just like her mother, but she was still a girl, and there were few things she hated more than being grimy and filthy from a mission. Her siblings had often teased her about the fact that she seemed to dash to the shower after every mission, but she was not about to walk around carrying the filth from fighting the latest villain she had bested. Plus, Wade still hadn't figured out how to make the battle suits fully breathable while still keeping their protective features, meaning that sweat and body oils built up somewhat easily while wearing them. June found herself wishing she had been in normal mission wear when Wade had called them about this sitch, but alas that had not been the case.

"June, what do you think you're doing?"

The shouting hiss broke June from her reveries, and she looked up to see her teenage mother standing on the beach. The look on Kim's face spoke of complete shock. Busted!

"Mom, I just needed to get cleaned up a little bit. That's all," June replied as she quickly struck out for the shoreline.

Kim smiled as she quickly handed her future daughter her undergarments. "I understand that, and believe me, I'll be the first to advocate keeping clean, but what if Xander or Ron had been the one to find you?"

"Find me?" June asked confusedly as she shook herself off before donning her bra and panties and pressing the button on her wrist Kimmunicator, causing her battle suit to quickly re-clothe her. It was then that she noticed Kim seemed to be coming down from a panic.

"June, Xander found evidence that someone was spying on us last night, and he suspects it was Lars from the future. And then you turned up missing, and no one knew where you'd gone. Then Xander scanned for you battle suit signature and found it deactivated, so the three of us split up to look for you." Kim had a worried edge to her voice that June recognized as one that only came out when something had gone wrong on family missions.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but you and Dad were asleep, and there was no way I was going to tell X that I was about to go take a nude bath in the ocean," June replied defensively. "Besides, I know for a fact that you can't see into this particular cove unless you're standing on the beach like you are now."

Kim shook her head. "Be that as it may, you could have at least left a note or something. We've been combing the beach and the cliffs for a good twenty minutes. We were just about to head up to the lair to see if any of the henchmen had seen you, and that could have blown both yours and Xander's cover."

June shook her head and laughed a little. "Boy, you don't even have kids yet and you already have the scolding talk down."

Kim smiled a little. "Well, I guess I have some practice at it. Don't forget who I'm engaged to." Then she pressed the 2 button on her wrist Kimmunicator. "Hey Ron, I found her. She was just taking a morning walk on the beach." Then she winked at the other girl and started walking back towards the cave.

June grinned and followed her. "Thanks for doing that. I'm not exactly ready to tell Daddy that I sometimes do this when I can't get to a shower or tub."

Kim smiled. "No big. I've done it myself before. Just keep in mind I probably won't be so open to you doing it when I'm older."

June nodded as they reached the cave. "Got it. So what did Xander find?"

Kim pointed to the outcropping where June had seen Xander looking around earlier. "He found some energy bars he says are from your time up there on that ledge. He figures that Lars knows you're here, but doesn't know who you are, so the plan should still be safe. I just have to remember to not react when the Reverse Polarizer goes crazy while I'm using it."

June stopped dead in her tracks. "You mean they haven't told you yet?"

Kim paused and turned back to face her. "What do you mean, haven't told me yet?"

June took a deep breath, her concern evident. "Look, me and Xander are pretty sure we can stop Zorpox, and that if we can't do it ourselves Shego can help us out. But he's nowhere near convinced we can stop Lady Kigo, even with his mother's help."

Kim stared at her. "So what does that mean?" she asked with worry in her voice, although she was pretty sure she already knew the answer to the question.

June looked down and wrapped her arms around herself. "It means that Dad needs to be the one using the device, and that he needs to be the one it malfunctions on and turns evil. While that's happening, Xander's going to get the drop on Lars and apprehend him. Either that, or we're going to make sure somehow that he's locked in the room with the six of us."

Kim looked like she'd just been gut-punched and she leaned, or rather sagged, against the Sloth. "June, I don't know if I can do that. Let Ron become Zorpox again that is. I mean it would be different if this were even three days ago, but he just asked me to marry him."

June nodded. "I know, Mom, but this is something we have to do. Trust me, I don't like it any more than you do. I mean, that's my dad. He's supposed to be this joking goofball who always shows me how to have fun, not some freaky out-of-control maniac with a creepy laugh that perverts his favorite word. Honestly, the only thing that keeps me pushing forward on this is the complete and utter faith I have that he only has to be like that for a short time. Then he can go back to being the guy who can make me laugh even when I'm having to deal with the mother of all bad hair days."

Kim smiled softly. "I know that feeling. He even got me to grin when I got a mullet worse than Motor Ed's."

June stifled a giggle. "Worse than Squirrel Head's? How did that happen?"

Kim grinned a bit. "Well, while he was stealing the Kepler I, he used his mech suit to toss me pretty far, and I needed a safe landing or I was going to be in serious trouble. So I used some hair gel compound that Wade gave me to create a landing pad. Trouble was that I was falling so fast I went into it, and when I came out I had the female equivalent of a mullet. I tried to brush it out when I got home, but it kept getting worse. I was about fed up with it when Ron made some comment about how it would really get revenge on mullet-head if the hairdo he caused beat his own cut in a contest. I don't think I stopped laughing for a good five minutes."

June smiled a little sadly. "Look, Mom, I know you don't want to let it happen, but both me and Xander agree that Zorpox is a lot less dangerous than Lady Kigo. We really don't want either of you to get turned, but someone has to. And as much as I hate to say it, it would be better if it was Dad."

Kim shrugged. "I guess you're right," she agreed, but already her mind was racing furiously to come up with a way to prevent both herself and her new fiancé from getting turned to evil.

* * *

Drakken and Shego returned just before noon, and Drakken immediately set to work on rebuilding the busted Attitudinator helmet into working condition. Surprising everyone, including himself, he had it fully functional in less than two hours. The conversion to Reverse Polarizer took a bit longer than expected however, partly because Drakken didn't have Electronique's knowledge of circuitry, but mostly because he kept having to borrow a Kimmunicator to ask Wade what the former villainess had meant by the directions and diagrams she had drawn.

Xander and Shego spent most of the afternoon comparing plasma techniques, particularly Shego's plasma bomb and Xander's plasma shield, moves that the other couldn't seem to copy, although Xander did manage to get a slight hold on his mother's more powerful two-handed blast, a move he'd always had trouble with in the past. Kim and Ron spent the time walking around and taking in the lair—surprisingly, as many times as they had been there and as many times as they had blown the place up, they'd never actually gotten a good look at the place. June was the only one who seemed focused on the upcoming switch, as she spent the majority of her time trying to locate and get a tracking device on Lars, as well as attempting to discover where he'd stashed his present-day self; unfortunately she had little success with either.

Finally, around 5:30, Drakken came over the lair's intercom and summoned all of them to the lab.

"I've done it!" he shouted as they all gathered in the room. "The Reverse Polarizer is now complete and fully operational."

Shego smiled. "Well done, Dr. D. Must say I'm impressed."

Drakken squinted. "Are you being serious or sarcastic? You know I'm no good at telling the difference."

She answered him with long kiss, a move that caused most of the rest of the room to turn away; only June seemed unaffected.

Turning back towards the villains, Kim smiled. "You know, as much as I would like to get this over with quickly, I don't think any of us have had much since breakfast. Why don't we get something to eat, and then take care of this?"

Drakken scratched his head. "You mean you…and us…sitting down to a meal like normal people?"

Ron nodded. "Why not? I'll even do the cooking."

Xander grinned. "Trust me on this, Mom and Dad. You haven't lived until you've tried this man's cooking."

Shego smiled. "Well, I suppose we might as well get the practice in."

June nodded. "Then it's settled. Just show him where the kitchen is, and he can do the rest."

The group left the lab and headed for the living area of the lair. As soon as they left, a shadowy figure entered the room. Lars removed the red hood of his henchman's uniform and immediately went to work on sabotaging the Reverse Polarizer. He smiled evilly when his task took less than two minutes to complete. Now, instead of merely switching a person from evil to good, it would store that evil in a set measurement. Once the storage reached that amount, the device would fire out a wave similar to an electric shock, causing whoever was touching the helmet to instantly be filled with all the evil it had stored.

Donning his hood once more, he quietly slipped out, unawares that he had been watched the whole time by a certain young woman hidden in stealth mode. Nor did he notice the tracking device she tossed to the ground that became wedged in the tread of his boot after he stepped on it. As soon as he was out of the room, Julie Anne Stoppable rematerialized. Considering what she'd just accomplished, she should have been smiling, but her face was all seriousness. The task was only halfway done, and the real challenge was still waiting. Quickly, she headed off to the main living quarters to join the rest of the group, slipping in quietly in stealth mode. Silently and with the gentlest touch she could manage, she pressed the button on Xander's suit to dissolve the hologram she had originally set just as she herself reappeared. The result was that no one even noticed she had been gone, not even Xander.

* * *

Dr. Director stared with disbelief at the young face on the screen before her. What had just been revealed to her had come as a complete shock to the system, and she was grateful she had taken this call in her private office.

"Wade, are you absolutely sure they intend to follow through with this?"

The young genius nodded. "Yep. Or at least, I know Shego will. Drakken is most likely going along with it too. After all, those are his kids she's pregnant with."

The Global Justice head sighed. "I just don't see how this is possible."

Wade smiled. "You've heard of Electronique, right? Well, Drakken and Shego are following the same path that reformed her. They even asked Kim and Ron to help out with it."

Betty frowned. "And what makes you so sure that this wasn't some sort of trap?"

Wade fixed her with a look of seriousness. "I wouldn't have sent them in if I didn't trust that this mission was on the up and up. We may be young, but we're not stupid, you know?"

Dr. Director thought for a moment. "No, I guess you're right. But I'm going to want some sort of proof that this isn't just some trick. I'll be happy to cross those two names off the wanted list if this is legit, but I won't do it without good reason."

Wade nodded. "I understand. And I'll relay the message the very next time I talk to either Kim or Ron. Wade out."

Dr. Director closed her eyes and exhaled as she leaned back in her chair. She turned the chair to face the window overlooking the main computer room of Global Justice's Go City operations base.

"Sending the renegades to do the professional's job again, I see," came a cold voice from behind her, a voice think with Russian accent.

Betty rolled her eyes and turned around, coming face to face with the one agent in her employ that she felt she absolutely could not trust, the burly and muscular Agent Ivan Gerhardt. "Listen here, Gerhardt. Those two are the best thing that ever happened to this organization and this planet, and I am not about to stop them from providing the help and service they feel called to give. Or have you forgotten that they are the reason we're both standing here right now."

Gerhardt produced a smile that was obviously faked. "Of course not, Director. I simply don't see why you let them operate outside of protocol when they are clearly interfering in what should be a Global Justice matter."

Dr. Director gave her subordinate an icy stare. "Because they are not part of this organization. We have only called on them to follow our way of doing things when there was no other choice. The best way for Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable to operate is for them to follow their hearts and do what they feel is right for the situation they face. Bogging them down with rules, regulations, and red tape only leads them towards frustration, and then they can't do the brilliant job that they constantly and repeatedly do. I learned that when I first teamed Kim up with Agent Du against Duff Killigan: despite all his training and superior gadgets, and the fact that he is our top agent, that amazing young woman outshined him in every department."

Gerhardt cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yet when Team Possible has allowed criminals to escape, you have done nothing to discipline them, only praised them for completing the mission. I ask you to explain what kind of double standard you are following."

The Global Justice head glared at him. "Don't think me stupid, Ivan. I know that you are angling to take this seat, and that you'd love nothing more than to ship both of those young people off to some secure facility and throw away the keys. But as long as I sit here in the Director's chair, you will do nothing to hinder them. Am I clear?"

His smile disappeared, replaced by a hard, thin line, and his Russian accent became even more apparent. "Clear as a crystal Fabergé egg. Just as long as you understand that just because your name and position match, it doesn't mean that the job will be yours forever. Also, when I take over, my first act will be to court martial you for not only supporting those mavericks but for endangering the lives of children as well."

With that, Gerhardt turned on his boot and left, letting the door slam in his wake. The sound sent a chill down Dr. Director's spine, one that she quickly overcame with anger.

"If _you_ gain control of this organization, God have mercy on us all that you are quickly killed in the line of duty."

…………………………………………………

Out in the hall, Gerhardt pulled out a two way radio that operated on a private frequency. "This is Gerhardt. I'll be there in two. Prepare for immediate takeoff. We finally have those annoying teens right where we want them."

* * *

A rainbow colored jet streaked past the eye of Florida. Inside, one of the four occupants was not happy.

"I don't see why I had to come on this. It's not like she ever pays any attention to me. She's even forgotten my last four birthdays."

"Oh, shut up Mego," Wesley snapped. "Sis said she wanted our help, and what better way to help than by giving her a hand with this switching operation of hers."

Hego smiled as he piloted the Go Jet. "I agree. I may not trust her so-called boyfriend, but I love Sheila enough to give them both the chance to prove that they really are going to come back over to the side of justice."

"And maybe we can convince her to rejoin Team Go," added Werner hopefully. "Especially after she hears your offer Hector."

Mego merely continued to grump. "I still don't see why _I_ had to come."

* * *

Inside the main room of the Caribbean Island lair of Dr. Drakken, the henchmen were abuzz with activity. Dr. Drakken had announced just a few minutes earlier that the personality switch would soon take place, and everyone had something to do. Since he and Shego would no longer require henchmen for evil purposes after the operation was completed, he had offered to keep those that wanted to stay as honest staff. Some were taking him up on the offer, but more than half were packing their belongings so that they would be ready for the transport that was going to come by in the morning to give them a ride back to Hench Co.—while they appreciated the offer of honest work, they had become henchmen for a reason, and it wasn't so they could run maintenance and keep the place secure.

One of their number, however, kept trying to convince those that were leaving that they should stay. Lars was convinced that strong leadership would soon make the organization a force to be reckoned with, and that the change would come sooner than they thought. However, no one was listening to him. As far as those leaving were concerned, Lars's authority began and ended with Drakken and Shego's leadership. Outside of those walls, he was just another henchman, and one that wasn't well liked to boot. So they ignored him for the most part. Out of the one hundred and fifty who had decided to leave, he convinced only four to agree to stay an extra day.

The fifty-five or so that were staying for the honest work were doing their absolute best to learn new jobs, since most would now be doing tasks that had previously been assigned to five, even if the workload would be considerably less now that they would be working honestly. Most of what they were doing right now however involved the disassembling of various traps and doomsday devices at Drakken's request. A couple of devices Drakken was keeping simply because he felt they had alternate uses, such as using his Sonic Annihilator's ability to make the perfect glass of chocolate milk; or as he liked to call it, Coco Moo.

Meanwhile, Shego, Kim, and Ron were busy setting up one of the larger rooms for the personality switch. At both Shego and Drakken's request, they would be restrained on tilted lab tables for the duration of the switch, just to make sure that neither one of them chickened out at the last second. June and Xander had offered to help, but Kim had suggested that it might be better if they were to track down Lars and keep an eye on him. Xander had agreed outright, but June had been hesitant. Of course, after a little bit of discussion, she decided to yield to Kim and Xander's judgment. Plus, she didn't want them to know about her private stealth excursion approximately an hour earlier.

As she worked on setting up one of the lab tables, Shego couldn't help but get chatty. "You two know something more about this switch that you're not telling me or Dr. D., don't you?"

Kim and Ron looked at each other, then Kim spoke. "Shego, we'd love to tell you, but we can't. And it's not our choice, it's a direct order/request from Xander and June."

Shego let loose with a laugh. "So you mean to tell me that you're taking orders from a daughter you haven't had yet? Boy, you two are going to make some _great _parents."

Kim grinned and raised her eyebrows in a smug gesture. "Yeah, we are. And you'll be dealing with twins."

Shego was impressed. "Nice comeback, Kimberly."

Ron stepped back in surprise. "Kimberly? No taunting nicknames?"

Shego smiled. "Hey, we're not fighting or trying to upstage each other are we? No. So there's no need to try to get into each other's heads to gain an advantage, right?"

Ron shook his head in confusion. "To tell the truth, I'm more unnerved by you calling KP by her name than by the nicknames."

Kim laughed. "To tell the truth, Ron, I am too just a little."

Shego smiled a bit mischievously. "You realize that some of those nicknames might stick around, right?"

Kim nodded. "I'd be surprised if they didn't, Shego."

The older woman sighed. "Kimmie, can't you at least try to call me Sheila?"

Kim shook her head in both embarrassment and amusement. "Hate to say this, but we didn't even know what your real name was until you sent the request to Wade asking for our help."

Shego looked incredulous. "You mean to tell me you thought my name actually was 'Shego' this whole time? What about that period when I taught at your school?"

"But you told us that was an alias, that you were calling yourself 'Miss Go' to avoid detection by your evil-turned brothers?" Ron replied with a scratch of his head.

Shego sighed. "Yes, but I still thought you were smart enough to figure out that 'Shego' is a professional alias. Especially you, Princess," she added with a smirk in Kim's direction.

The younger woman merely smiled in annoyance. "Well, considering that we thought the same thing of your brothers, we had no reason to suspect otherwise. We only recently learned that Hego is the only one who protects his identity."

Shego snorted derisively. "That's because he actually has an identity he can protect. All he has to do is put on that stupid black wig and he looks perfectly normal, while the rest of us have to go around looking like we took baths in Easter egg dye. To tell the truth, when I got zapped by this device the first time I was kind of disappointed my skin didn't go normal like Dr. D.'s did when he got zapped."

Kim wiped away the perspiration that had formed on her brow. "You know, that's one thing I've never heard the story behind. My dad told me Drakken didn't used to be blue the first time I dealt with the Bebe robots. He also later said that Drakken didn't have the scar when they were at M.I.S.T. either. I'm actually a little bit curious how both things happened."

Shego laughed a bit. "You'll have to get him to tell you sometime. It's actually a pretty funny story."

…………………………………………………

In another part of the lair, Xander made an unexpected discovery, causing him to round on his girlfriend.

"Jules, why didn't you tell me about this?" he said as he held up his wrist to show the tracker screen. A small blip was moving around on it in the henchman quarters where they were heading, meaning that one of their tracking bugs was attached to someone. And Xander had a pretty good idea who that someone was. "And more than that, how did you plant the bug on him?"

June sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Because you would have gone all defensive again like you did this morning on the beach when I walked out of sight. And does it really matter _how_ I planted the bug on Lars?"

Xander shook his head. "Julie, you keep going off on me about we can't go maverick on this, and yet you yourself keep pulling things that you know aren't mission profile. What if he finds the bug and it tips him off?"

June poked him hard in the chest, fire in her eyes. "First off, what I did was not being a maverick! I was simply attempting to wrap this thing up a little quicker. Secondly, don't you dare talk to me about the damn mission profile! Regardless of what happens, your parents come out of this thing fine. Meanwhile, one of my parents might get turned to a villain, and we have no guarantees that what Lars has done to that blasted helmet won't cause it to self-destruct! So don't you even try to tell me about the mission profile! As far as I'm concerned, the mission profile was useless the moment my parents spotted us the first time! Which they only did because you wanted to save power and not use our stealth modes because you thought we might need them later! So don't you dare try to get on to me for not following that…that…that…"

The girl's emerald green eyes were flashing back and forth furiously, but there was also a glistening to them, and Xander noticed that she seemed to be barely holding it together. Doing the only thing he could think of, he pulled her into a loving hug. At first she fought the embrace and the closeness, but after a minute she gave in and buried her face in his chest. Xander slowly rubbed her back, and within twenty seconds the tears started flowing. Her heartfelt sobs tore at his heart, but he knew she needed to do this, as much for her own good as for the success of their mission. Xander mentally kicked himself repeatedly while he held her. Of course she would have acted as she had—Kim and Ron were her parents after all, and that made all the difference. Part of what had made the original Team Possible so great was that they had always followed their hearts on not just missions but in life as well, and the best way to continue that work was for Xander and June to do the same now.

He held her back from him and wiped her tears gently with the back of hand. "Hey, how bout we throw the rule book out on this and just follow our hearts. It never failed us before. After all…"

June smiled softly. "Anything is possible for Team Possible."

At that moment, Kim came across on both their Kimmunicators. "Okay guys, we're ready on our end."

Xander smiled. "And we have Lars bugged on our end. How do we proceed, Miss Possible?"

Kim smiled. "It's Kim, Xander. And don't worry about Lars. Shego came up with a good idea for getting him in here with us. Just meet us back at the main computer room. Or at least, meet me and Ron there."

Xander was quizzical. "What about Mom and Dad?"

Shego had apparently grabbed Kim's wrist and pointed it herself, because her face appeared on the screen. "I'll be there in a few. Just need to have a word with a certain henchman."

June and Xander looked at each other with worried expressions. Finally, June looked back at her Kimmunicator.

"Mom, you didn't tell her, did you?" the young woman asked tentatively.

Kim shook her head. "Actually, she figured it out on her own." Then she mouthed, _Didn't help that Ron kept talking_, followed by a roll of her eyes. "And we're supposed to be meeting Drakken there."

The screen blinked off, and June couldn't suppress a laugh. "Dad never does know when to shut up."

Xander smirked. "Could almost say it's genetic."

June slugged him on the arm. "And just what does that mean?"

The young man held up a hand weakly in defense while rubbing his arm with the other. "Hey, I meant Ronnie."

June rolled her eyes. "Good save, mister," she replied as they headed for the lair's ops center.

A few minutes later the group was gathered, and less than two after that Shego joined them. All eyes but Drakken's held questioning looks aimed in her direction, but she merely smiled. Drakken pressed the intercom.

"Attention all henchmen of the base. As of this moment, I would like to officially announce the end of the Drakken Criminal Organization. For those of you staying, I am grateful, and for those of you leaving, I wish you success in your future evil endeavors. Also, any leaving who later reconsider will be welcomed back with open arms. This has been like an evil family, and will continue to be an open home to all who worked for me these past few years. I wish you luck." With that he turned off the intercom and shut down the computer that had run so much of his villainous empire for what he hoped was the last time.

Turning back, he heard the sound of applause. It was the second time he had been congratulated for doing something to better the world, and he was starting to discover he liked the feeling. However, this round of clapping somehow meant more to him than the room full of delegates back at the U.N. had—maybe that had something to do with the fact that two of the people praising him were the very same teens who had thwarted practically every single one of his evil take-over-the-world schemes. He smiled and stood proudly for a minute, basking in the glow. Then, before he realized it, his flower vine had snaked out and snagged Shego around the waist, bringing her once more to his side. Looking in her eyes, he finally understood what had happened at the U.N. that day.

"Guess I wanted to share the spotlight with someone special," he said with a grin.

"Guess so," she replied with a warm smile.

Turning back towards the rest of the group, he took a deep breath. "I guess we're ready, then."

As they headed back to the Switch Room, Kim hurried to catch up with Ron, and pulled him off to the side. When the others looked at her in surprise, she motioned them forward. After they had left, she looked in her fiancé's eyes.

"Ron, I know there's something going on. I can see it in the way you've been acting."

The young man smiled sadly. "Never could keep anything from you, KP."

Kim smiled. "Not entirely true. You did manage to keep the engagement a secret."

"Yeah, but only because Felix gave me the go ahead to call him anytime I started to worry about it. He's still a little ticked that I called him a couple times around 3:00 in the morning."

Kim rolled her eyes good-naturedly, remembering the night before their first day of high school senior year. Ron had called her very late (or was it very early?), and asked her if she was a Synthodrone, all because of some nightmare he'd had. She could definitely understand Felix's frustration, but there was still the matter at hand.

"Ron, don't change the subject. What's going on?"

Ron sighed. "Kim, the last couple of times I turned into Zorpox, I could have seriously hurt you. What's worse is I could see it happening but I couldn't control it. What if something like that happens again?"

Kim could see he was being evasive and not telling her the whole truth, but it also obvious he was revealing something he was genuinely worried about. She reached out a hand to cup his cheek.

"Ron, remember what you told me the day of the media mob? You said, 'Even if you do, I know it won't be you.' I feel the same way about anything Zorpox might do." Hoping to prove her point, she kissed him softly.

Afterward, Ron's frown was gone, but the worry was still present in his eyes. "I just don't want to hurt you, KP."

"And you won't," she said with far more confidence than Ron liked.

Immediately red flags shot up in his mind. "Xander and June aren't the only ones with a plan, are they?"

Kim eyed him knowingly. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Ron looked down dejectedly. "I'm sorry, but I can't. Just know I wouldn't do something like this if I didn't love you with all my heart."

Kim nodded and placed a kiss on his cheek. "As long as you remember the same thing about me."

Linking hands, they finished the short walk towards the Switch Room, where they found the others already waiting. Shego and Drakken were already strapping themselves in, helped by June and Xander. Looking around, Kim saw Lars in a heap in the corner, apparently unconscious and badly bruised.

"I thought the plan was to capture him after you guys got back to your own time?" she asked matter-of-factly.

Xander glanced over his shoulder with a smile. "Talk to Mom about that one."

Shego glared at the battered pile that was the henchman. "Nobody plays on my motherly insecurities and gets away with it."

Kim smiled. "So I guess that means we can fix the helmet and not worry about this whole thing."

June grinned. "One step ahead of you. Dr. Drakken already gave it a once over, and is positive he found the change that Lars made."

Drakken looked nervous. "I said I think I found it. The only thing out of place was a little wire that I'm pretty sure he rigged to detonate for some reason. Couldn't tell you why though."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief as he walked up to the firing station they'd set up on the other side of the room. "Hey, as long as this thing works, let's not worry about the details. Are you two ready?"

Shego nodded. "As I'll ever be. Just do it and get it over with, Stoppable."

Drakken took a deep breath. "I agree with Shego. Let's do this quick, buffoon."

Ron rolled his eyes. "One of these days I'll get you to remember my name again." With that he pressed the button and began the process.

At first, things seemed to be working just fine, other than being much slower than the ray Electronique had been able to produce. In approximately two minutes, the sarcastic smirk disappeared from Shego's face, leaving only the sweet smile she had worn almost constantly as Miss Go. Then Ron rotated the device towards Dr. Drakken. The blue mad scientist at first cringed, but then smiled.

"Hey, no itchy feet this time."

Kim smiled, remembering how itchy feet had been a sign of the original helmet doing its job. Turning back towards Ron, she noticed something odd happening. Even though it was now firing a ray, the helmet was starting to vibrate erratically, as if someone had combined its original operation with the new one it had when shooting a beam. Thinking back, she couldn't remember it even barely trembling when she had used it to revert both Ron and the rest of Team Go back to good near the end of the Electronique fight. Something wasn't right.

Glancing over at Lars, a sudden and horrific comprehension rammed itself to the forefront of her mind—Lars hadn't just done one thing to the device, he'd done two! She realize he'd not only switched it to turn the user evil, he'd also rigged it to self-destruct afterwards so that the switch couldn't be reversed! The machine was starting to vibrate more forcefully now, and Kim could see only one course of action. She broke into a dead run straight across towards Ron!

"Mom! What are you doing?" she heard June call in a panicked voice, but Kim's only thought was stopping this. Ron had just proposed to her two days ago for crying out loud! And she was not about to lose him. Forget the damned mission, there was no way she was going to allow him to be turned to evil again! She reached him and threw her arm out between him and the device.

"Kim, what are you…!" was all he had time to yell out before a massive shockwave and a blast of smoke radiated out from the Reverse Polarizer, tossing them both bodily through the air. They landed in two heaps a few feet away, barely a foot separating them. Time seemed to freeze in place, the only movement being the smoke that had been caused by the discharge.

* * *

Across the world in an Osaka alleyway, Yori fell to her knees the ground, clutching her heart. Hirotaka raced to her side.

"Yori-chan, what is it?"

Yori looked up at him, a cold fear in her eyes. "Something terrible has just happened to Stoppable-san and Possible-san."

Hirotaka frowned. "How do you know this?"

Yori shook her head and looked towards the west and the homeland of her friends. "I do not know. I only know that a great misfortune has just befallen two dear friends."

…………………………………………………

Dr. Director stared at the coffee cup that had just shattered on the floor. Normally she didn't believe in omens, but this one sent a chill down her spine. This particular coffee cup had been a gift from Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, given to Betty soon after the Lil' Diablos incident, and she had used it almost religiously since then. In all that time, though it had been dropped more times than the Times Square New Year's ball, it had never once even cracked. Yet now the handle was still in her hand while the cup portion lay smashed on the ground, the coffee it had been holding spreading out like blood.

_Kim, Ron, what just happened to you two?_

…………………………………………………

In the heart of Middleton, Colorado, in a modest home settled in a relatively quiet neighborhood, four parents looked at each other with stricken faces. All four had gotten the same chilled feeling.

James Possible glanced at the others. "Am I the only one who felt that just now?"

Gene Stoppable looked grim. "No, James. I'm afraid you aren't."

Jean Stoppable stared out the window, the icy fingers of fear gripping at her heart. "What was that?"

"Something just happened," Anne Possible said shakily, her eyes beginning to water. "Something just happened to Kim and Ron."

…………………………………………………

Atop Mount Yamanouchi, Sensei continued his meditations, his prayers becoming more fervent.

"Honored Ancestors and Spirits of the Past, I ask for you help now. Please guide those who are now faced with a path they do not wish to follow. And please lend them your strength so that they may follow that path with honor and courage."

* * *

Back at the Caribbean lair, time stood still. That is, until a heart-wrenching scream tore through the silence.

"MOM! DAD!" June yelled at the top of her lungs as she raced to their sides.

Ron was on his back and breathing normally, although his face looked strange. Kim, however, had been thrown and landed so that she was awkwardly twisted. June quickly rolled her on to her back, and a cold chill ran down her spine. Though she was still somewhat subdued by the blast, there was a sinister smile slowly creeping across Kim's face.

"Mom?" June asked tentatively.

The response was a surprising uppercut that caught June under the chin. The force of the blow sent her flying backwards, and it was only thanks to her above average agility that she was able to pull a flip and land on her feet in a crouch before skidding to a stop next to Xander. Sensing that what she feared had happened she looked at the blue-green young man.

"What now, X?" she asked as she slowly rose into a defensive posture.

Xander fired up his fists, sending a series of rapid blasts at Shego's restraints, quickly freeing his mother. The worry on his face was evident. "Looks like we get to test your theory that we have enough to stop your mom. Or rather, we get to see if we're strong enough to take down Lady Kigo."

Shego had joined them in a defensive huddle after quickly freeing Drakken, her own fists blazing to life, and she stared intently into the dissipating smoke cloud. "Uhh, hate to burst your bubble, Xander, but Kimmie's not the only one we have to worry about."

June stared horrified as another figure appeared out of the smoke cloud, his face twisted far from the goofy grin.

"GUESS WHO'S BAAAACK! BOOYEAH-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

a/n

Sorry about the super-long chapter, but I'm pretty sure it was worth the read. :)

As always, comments and reviews are always welcome.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 is up and running!

Kim and Ron are gone, leaving only the villainous alter egos of Lady Kigo and Zorpox in their place! Now June, Xander, and Shego are in for a very tough fight with the future at stake, and someone will be called to do something extraordinary.

Meanwhile, Drakken has to repair the Reverse Polarizer quickly, while keeping Lars under control.

Dr. Director and Wade are both feeling the pressure, but each has a plan to help the situation, including some help from some unexpected places.

And the whole time, Agent Gerhardt is getting ever closer to accomplishing his goals.

This powder store of a sitch has been lit, and the explosions are starting to rock the house!

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

Xander fired up his fists, sending a series of rapid blasts at Shego's restraints, quickly freeing his mother. The worry on his face was evident. "Looks like we get to test your theory that we have enough to stop your mom. Or rather, we get to see if we're strong enough to take down Lady Kigo."

Shego had joined them in a defensive huddle after quickly freeing Drakken, her own fists blazing to life, and she stared intently into the dissipating smoke cloud. "Uhh, hate to burst your bubble, Xander, but Kimmie's not the only one we have to worry about."

June stared horrified as another figure appeared out of the smoke cloud, his face twisted far from the goofy grin.

"GUESS WHO'S BAAAACK! BOOYEAH-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The higher-pitched voice and laugh sent chills down June's spine. "X, we've got a majorly problematic sitch here."

Shego rolled her eyes. "I see you've inherited Kimmie's habit of stating the obvious, Little Princess."

Xander had a grim look on his face, and spoke in a voice barely above a hissing whisper. "Little bit worse than that, I'm afraid. They're both wearing their new battle suits, and Zorpox is starting to figure out how to use the Mystical Monkey Power."

June looked with horrified realization at her teenage father's alter ego. His eyes were indeed beginning to flash an electric blue color, and his hair had started to wave of its own accord. Although Zorpox seemed to be struggling with accessing the power, it was apparent he would soon succeed. That left her with only one choice, a path she had hoped she would never have to take. Her face took on a look of grim resolve as she came to her decision.

"Guess that means I have to be the one to challenge him."

Xander stared for a moment at his girlfriend. "Jules, are you sure? You've never gone full out before."

June shook her head, and her own hair began to start floating of its own accord. "Of course I'm not sure, but what choice do we have? If he can take down two super-strong aliens by himself, I'm pretty sure he'd handle both you and Shego fairly easily. And it's going to take both of you to take down my mother."

Shego spat on the ground. "Look, Little Princess, just because I've been turned good doesn't mean I lost any of my fighting skills."

Xander smiled. "We know that Mom, but whoever takes him on is going to have to be going all out. Besides, you're the only one with experience fighting against Kim in a real battle. And with her wearing that new suit we can't rely solely on our glow powers. Or have you forgotten how hard Kim was to fight one on one the night of the Lil' Diablos? Because Kigo is going to be about twice as hard. Plus, you have to be extra careful, or I might be in real trouble."

Shego rolled her eyes and glanced down at her stomach. For a moment, she had forgotten she was currently pregnant and carrying twins, one of which was the young man's present-day self. "Guess you're right. So then what are we waiting for?"

Kim smiled evilly, and her voice was menacingly silky and laced with venom when she spoke. "Oh look, the kiddies want to play with us. Shall we, Zorpox?"

"Of course. But what shall I call you, my dear Kimberly Anne?" he replied as a blue energy flame slowly began to envelop his form.

Kim smirked. "To tell the truth, I like this 'Kigo' they keep calling me. Let's go with that."

With that she charged forward, her fists at her sides—the move held an eerie resemblance to the battle charge Shego had always used. As she passed her daughter, she threw out a cross punch aimed directly at June's face, but the blonde-haired teen flipped over the attack, rapidly spinning in the air and landing facing Zorpox. The moment she landed, her body was bathed in a bright blue energy, and her hair broke free of the ponytail she had put it in that morning.

"Anytime you're ready, Zorpox," she grimly smiled as she dropped into a combat stance similar to a monkey.

"Oh good, a possible real challenge for me," he replied as his own powers came into full force. "And I see that somehow you have acquired powers similar to my own. But do you know how to use them?"

June smiled. "Of course. My father is the greatest teacher in the world."

Zorpox grinned maniacally. "Too bad you'll never see him again."

The young woman glared at him. "Oh, we'll see about that."

"Come on, then. Bring!" he taunted.

"Oh, trust me. I intend to!" she spat out as she began her attack.

…

The minute her attack missed its connection with June's head, Kigo sent a spinning kick aimed at Shego's knees. Had it connected, it probably would have shattered the woman's kneecap, but Shego managed to just barely sidestep and parry it. It still swept her leg though, and sent the now former villainess crashing to the ground. However, Shego was up in an instant.

"Since when do you pull low blows like that, Princess?" she asked as she aimed a glowing fist at Kigo's side.

Kigo smirked as she dodged. "Since I finally got the lesson you've been trying to show me all this time," she sneered as she laced out with a back kick that barely missed Xander's head.

The young man spun out of the way and rounded with a punch to Kigo's side that knocked the red-head off balance. Unfortunately, she pulled off a spin that sent her behind him, and an elbow connected with his back, sending him sprawling. Shego was there, however, and let loose with a glow-powered swipe that caught the young woman full on the face, sending her back a few feet.

"And what lesson would that be?" she roared as she charged in for a follow-up attack.

The swipe had only dazed Kigo though, and she used the momentum from Shego's attack to hurl the mint-skinned woman into a pile of crates. "That a battle can only be easily won when you take full advantage of every opening, including a few attacks that some might call a ferocious display of cheating."

Xander flew through the air in a flying side kick, which was blocked and countered by Kigo with a roundhouse kick, which was in turn parried and countered by Xander's uppercut. The blow caught Kigo directly underneath the chin, sending her flying, but not before the kick that came out of the flip caught the young man in the chest. Both combatants went back-flipping out of the exchange, and both landed on their feet and skidded a few inches back. Kigo wasn't even breathing hard.

Shego was up and at Xander's side in the next second. "Xander, this isn't working. We need a plan."

Xander laughed dryly. "Well, Mom, I'm open to suggestions."

…

The dual battles were somewhat distracting, but Drakken knew that he had to get this Reverse Polarizer fixed. He quickly removed it from the improvised firing station they'd set up, and began removing access panels, hoping and praying that whatever damage had been done by Lars's modifications would be easily repairable. Unfortunately, he had another problem to deal with as well. Lars was starting to stir, and the blue-skinned man knew that he had to keep the henchman from escaping and keep him confined in the room. However, the tools he figured he was going to need to make repairs to the damaged device were in another part of the lair, and he couldn't risk letting Lars flee while he went to get them. He quickly dashed over and locked the door with an access code that only he and Shego knew, and then fled back to the safety of a pile of crates. Glancing around, he sought for a way to make quick repairs that would at the very least get the Reverse Polarizer back to functioning order, even if only for a few minutes.

That's when he noticed a red, watch-like device on one of the crates. Creeping over while keeping the Reverse Polarizer hugged tightly to his chest, he saw that it was the buffoon's wrist Kimmunicator. Quickly he punched the call button, hoping that the teens hadn't changed the operation since the time their young tech genius had talked him through the repairs on the original Attitudinator. He breathed a slight sigh of relief as Wade's face came on the screen.

"Dr. Drakken?" the young man asked in surprise. "What's going on?"

Drakken shook his head. "No time. We've had a slight problem with the switch, and now both of your friends have gone bad-guy mode. We need to get this thing fixed and quickly."

Wade got a panicked look on his face. "This is not good. And the timing couldn't be worse."

Drakken was puzzled. "Why do you say that?"

The young man pressed a button on his keyboard, and half the screen showed a radar map featuring the island. Two blips were heading towards them at high speed, although one was faster than the other.

"One of these is the Team Go Jet, meaning Shego's brothers are on the way there for some reason. Why I don't know. But fortunately they are the faster of the two. Either that, or they left Go City first."

Drakken felt a tingling on the back of his neck. "And the other?"

Wade let out a worried sigh. "The other is the problem. It's a Global Justice hover jet, and I just talked to Dr. Director about it. She says she didn't authorize the operation, but she did tell me who the team leader on that craft is."

Drakken grimaced. "Nnnngg. Don't tell me…"

Wade nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so. It's Agent Ivan Gerhardt."

…

So far, June was holding her own against Zorpox. The duel between the daughter and her father's villainous alter ego looked like some sort of crazy ballet, both of them moving erratically through the air like a couple of monkeys dancing in the trees. The other noticeable thing about the battle is that, unlike the battle between Kigo and the other two, not a single blow had been landed yet. So far, both fighters had been able to dodge or completely parry every single attack. The only times they had even touched each other had been when one of them placed a hand on the other's attacking limb to knock it away from its target. However, that also meant that neither could gain an advantage.

Zorpox laughed. "Ah, you're quite good at this little girl. I've evidently trained you quite well."

June was enraged but keeping it in check. "You never taught me a single thing except how I _wasn't_ supposed to act. My father is Ron Stoppable, a good man who does what's right. Not some megalomaniac like you whose bent on evil deeds," she screamed as she came flying at him in a double-foot kick.

Zorpox easily dodged. "Ah-Hahahaha. It seems I've hit a nerve there. Someone's a little touchy."

His follow-up was the first attack to hit, a rising uppercut that knocked June out of the air and sent her crashing hard to the ground. During the skid, however, she managed to flip into a rising kick that became her first connecting hit. The blow sent Zorpox smashing into the wall, and he slid down to land hard on the ground on his face.

"What's the matter, Poxie?" June taunted. "Losing your edge?"

Zorpox was incensed. "Don't you _dare_ call me that, you little brat! My name is ZORPOX!" He zoomed up at her with a haymaker punch, but she dodged easily.

"Oh Ho Ho! Now who's a little touchy, Poxie?" she snarled as she grabbed his fist and sent him slamming back to the ground.

* * *

At that moment, approximately fifty miles away and closing fast, the Team Go jet was experiencing a hack. Fortunately, it was the good kind of hack, courtesy of a thirteen-year-old genius from Middleton.

Hego shook his head in disbelief. "So let me get this straight, young man. Our sister and her boyfriend have been turned good while Kim and Ron have been turned evil, and now they are fighting against each other with a pair of teenagers from the future, one of which is one of the babies that Shego is currently pregnant with. Correct?"

Wade smiled nervously. "Pretty much. Hard to believe, I know."

Wesley scratched his head. "But couldn't telling us this jeopardize their future?"

Wade shook his head in frustration. "Unfortunately we can't worry about that at the moment. You guys aren't the only ones on your way there right now."

Werner spoke up. "You're referring to the Global Justice hover jet, aren't you?"

Wade got a confused look. "How did you guys know about that?"

Hego smiled. "They're currently primarily based in Go City. So the Go Tower sensors picked them up as soon as they took off. The island Shego and Drakken live on is the only thing in this vicinity that would be of interest to them."

Wade nodded. "Fair enough. And just so you know, it's Gerhardt who's the team leader on that craft."

Even Mego, who had been grumping in the back seat, sat forward at that pronouncement. "That pompous, self-centered jerk is the one they put in charge of this thing?" Normally, the rest of Team Go would have found it funny that Mr. Narcissus himself had called anyone self-centered, but they were all seriousness at the moment.

Wade shook his head. "Actually, it's a bit more serious than that. According to Dr. Director, this is what they classify as a necessary rogue mission. It wasn't cleared with the superiors, but the perceived threat is significant enough that they can't authorize a cancellation. Worse is that they don't know that Kim and Ron have been reprogrammed by the Reverse Polarizer. They're going to be charging in with a 'shoot first and ask later' mentality, and it's likely one or all of them are going to get hurt."

Hego nodded. "So what is our best course of action, young man?"

Wade got a grim look. "Unfortunately, I need you guys to trust me on this. We need to somehow stall Global Justice long enough for Drakken to make repairs on the machine and return Kim and Ron to normal. What I need you guys to do is to land, let a few of you out, and the rest take off again and distract the hover jet, as well as keeping any Global Justice agents away from the room where the battle is happening."

Wesley grinned. "Sounds like you have a plan for that, Wade."

Wade nodded. "I do. Hego, you need to be the one flying the jet. I hate to say it, but super strength is right now the most useless of the Team Go powers."

Hego was stung by the insinuation, but nodded. "Affirmative."

Wade continued. "Mego, since you can shrink, you need to be the one that goes to the room and deals with Lars while Drakken fixes the helmet ray. You can get inside without letting Lars escape."

Mego was practically beaming. "See, I told you shrinking was useful!"

"Oh sure, one time," the Wegos remarked in unison.

Wade rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Focus guys. Wesley, Werner, you two have the most important part of all. We need you two to use your copying to surround the island with as many copies as you can make. Don't let a single Global Justice agent through, no matter what. I can't be any more serious about that. Not a single person gets through."

"Sure thing," they replied.

Hego spoke up. "But how are we going to explain this? It's going to look like we're aiding a couple of villains."

Wade nodded. "I'm already in the process of making arrangements. Just trust me on this." With that, his hack ended and his face faded off of the communications screen of the Team Go Jet.

Hego turned and looked at his brothers. "Everyone be safe. We need some major cooperation on this."

"Right," the other three replied. The fact that they didn't remark about their older brother's calling it cooperation instead of "Go-operation" spoke volumes about the graveness they all felt about the situation.

* * *

Dr. Director had never before dealt with such chaos. Even the Lil' Diablos a year ago and the alien invasion a month ago hadn't caused this much trouble. She was simultaneously carrying on three things at once, and her nerves had never been so in danger of fraying.

First of all, she was trying to get the approval from her superiors for a cancellation of Gerhardt's unauthorized mission, something that was proving far greater a challenge than it should have been. Secondly, she was attempting to coordinate and organize a second team of agents to both go after him and to aid the situation that was quickly spinning out of control in the Caribbean islands. And third, she was attempting to coordinate with Wade on the operation and tactics to come. As a result, she had three screens and three conversations all going at once.

She spoke first to the screen on her left, which held a blurred out image of her own commanding officer. "Look Sir, what Agent Gerhardt did is a complete and utter breach of Global Justice protocol. He has gone rogue, and is concerned only with helping himself, not the greater good of humanity."

The person on the other end spoke through a voice scrambler and had their face blurred, making it hard to tell whether it was a man or woman. "We understand that, Betty, but there is also reason for us to believe that his actions may in fact be better for the mission overall. Furthermore, we understand that once more you are consorting with outside help for this assignment."

Agent Will Du was on the middle screen. "If you have been paying any attention, Sir, you would realize that those two are some of the best outside operatives we have ever worked with."

Dr. Director sighed. "Thank you, Will, but I need you to focus on getting your team supplied and ready for takeoff. And leave as soon as you are ready. What's the status on that?"

Will Du nodded. "We are less than two minutes from departure. We're only waiting on the pre-flight checks."

The Global Justice head smiled. "Good, keep me informed. I want status reports on anything and everything that happens out there."

Wade Load was on the third screen. "Dr. Director, we need more time to bring this to a finish."

Dr. Director shook her head. "I understand that, Wade, but right now you've got all the time I can give you. I'm trying to get more, but I'm not sure I can."

Wade nodded. "Well, just so you know, Team Go has just joined in on Team Possible's side."

Dr. Director nodded, catching the double meaning of the young man's statement. "I understand. Keep me informed."

The blurred out screen spoke up again. "Dr. Director, you should understand that you are making a career move here. If this turns out badly, your usefulness as the head of this organization will be called into serious question."

She turned towards that screen. "I understand that Sir, but I know in my heart and my head that Team Possible will resolve this if we give them a chance. And I'm willing to bet my reputation on it."

"Dr. Director, we're taking off," Will Du broke in. "Estimated arrival time…"

"Forget safety protocol speeds, Will. You are authorized for full power to all propulsion systems. I want you there as fast as that craft can get you there. Ascend only to Global Justice fly space and open it up all the way."

Agent Du nodded. "Affirmative. But you do realize that will put us out of contact during the trip, right?"

Dr. Director nodded grimly. "I know, but speed is more important right now. You have your orders."

Will nodded. "Right. Over and out." His screen went black.

Blurred screen spoke up again. "Dr. Director, you do realize that you just did exactly the sort of thing you are trying to get us to stop Agent Gerhardt from doing, right?"

Dr. Director shook her head. "No, I did not Sir. What I did was let you know what I did while doing it. Gerhardt chose to organize in secret, and we would have been in the dark about it had young Mr. Load here not informed us of the situation. And I assure you that will become Global Justice policy if Ivan takes over."

Even though the screen was blurred, she thought she saw the person smile. "Well played, Dr. Director. We only hope for your sake that your instincts are right in this situation." The screen went dark, and Dr. Director slumped back in her chair and turned towards the right-side screen, where Wade was still connected. The exhaustion on her face was evident.

"I'm sorry, Wade. But at least I may have bought you a little time if Will Du and his team can get there fast enough."

The young man nodded. "Team Possible understands, Dr. Director. Or at least, we do now. Prior to that meeting we had with you a few weeks ago we might not have."

Dr. Director smiled. "Thank you, Wade. Now about this support that Team Go is going to be offering. What instructions do you need me to give my operatives?"

* * *

The moment Zorpox hit the ground he was back up, dashing at June and driving a solid knee directly into her stomach. The blow knocked the wind out of the teenager, and she couldn't stay airborne. She did manage to get down to the ground, but only seconds later a hard elbow was driven into her back directly between her shoulder blades, causing her to smash to the ground, stunned and unable to move for a few seconds. That was all it took for Zorpox to seize her by the wrists and smash her bodily into the wall. She crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Xander saw the exchange, and glanced at Shego. "Mom, go help June. I can take Kigo."

Shego looked at him incredulously. "Have you lost your rocker? You're barely handling her with my help!"

Xander glared at his mother. "Look, if June dies this whole thing becomes pointless, okay? I can't give you the details, but she is very important to the future of this planet and to yours and Dad's survival. Besides there's only one plan we can follow now. So go!" Firing up his fists to full power, he charged at Kigo.

Shego couldn't help but whistle in surprise at the fury she saw in her son's eyes. If he was that good without her help, how good could he be if she trained him a little? Realizing she was drifting, she shook her head, and fired up a plasma bomb.

"Hey, Stoppable! How about a new target?" she yelled at Zorpox as she hurled the bomb at him.

Then she pulled a stunt she hadn't tried in ages, dashing in and grabbing June before jumping and letting the blast of her attack propel them both back to a safe distance. Zorpox seemed surprised by the move, and he leapt off the wall to avoid being caught in the shockwave created by her plasma bomb.

"Well now, what's this? The pregnant lady wants to have a go at me. Don't think that I'm going to go easy on you."

Shego smiled. "Not expecting anything less from you, honestly. Ronster, yes. You, not so much."

Zorpox smirked. "Oh, but I am Stoppable, lady! I'm simply what he'd be if he'd only let himself fully experience and make use of these wonderful powers of his," he sneered as he came flying in with a vicious punch.

Shego danced out of the way, laying down a few plasma shots to prevent him from circling around her. "Actually, Zorpox, I can prove you and Stoppable are not the same person, although he does still have some control over you. In fact, he's stronger than you." She fired nine blasts at him in a wall of attacks.

"Oh come on now, Shego. Did you forget about my wearing a battle suit?" the young villain laughed.

He fired up the defense screens for only a second, just long enough to deflect every one of the nine blasts. What he didn't expect was Shego lashing out with a flying kick following directly behind them. His bubble shield had been down barely two seconds when her boot connected hard with his chest, sending him flying backwards.

"You know how I know Ron Stoppable still has control over you. For one reason…oh what did she call you…ah yes—Poxie. The reason I know that the Ronster not only still has some control over you but is stronger than you as well, Poxie, is that despite all your boasting you have yet to hurt this girl," she said as pointed at June, who was only now coming to. "Despite the fact that you have the ability to kill her using your full Monkey Powers, you can't access enough to do the job. Because Stoppable won't let you. Why I'll even bet that you couldn't even lay a finger on Kigo if you wanted to, just because he won't let you."

Zorpox was enraged as he rebounded off the wall. "Why would you think I would care about her?" he yelled as he came flying at Shego, his feet aimed squarely at her head.

However, his rage blinded him to what she had done. In the blink of an eye, Shego sidestepped his attack, grabbed his hands as he flew by, and spun him around and back at the wall he'd come from. The force of the spin sent him rotating through the air, so that he found himself flying head first without any time to recover. He smashed into the concrete and crumpled in a heap on the floor, apparently dazed. However, just to be safe, Shego fired several plasma blasts at the wall above him, sending rubble down to encase him in a pile up to his neck. But she knew that wouldn't hold him long.

June stood shakily and glanced at her boyfriend's mother, a sense of awe on her face. _So this is what Sheila Godfrey was like in her prime. Impressive. Even more impressive that Mom could still take her like this._

…

Over on the other side of the room, Kigo was taking full advantage of the skills of that had been honed by her goody-goody alter ego. And in doing so she was giving Xander the workout of his life. Even some of the fights he'd been involved in when he was younger hadn't pushed him like this one was. It seemed no matter what he tried, she was always one or two steps ahead of him. Thankfully, his defense was holding, and she had yet to get in any solid hits, only glancing blows and attacks that he managed to parry away to other areas. However, the bruises from those lesser hits were starting to pile up and take their toll. It didn't help that it seemed like he'd barely touched her.

"Gotta tell ya, Kim, I've always wondered what it would be like to go up against you."

Kigo sneered maliciously at him. "But you're not fighting Kim Possible, are you honey?"

She lashed out with series of rapid kicks, every single one of them capable of putting a hole in the wall. If not for the extra protection of his Mark VII battle suit, Xander was sure the ones that connected would have at the very least broken a few ribs. Thankfully, he managed to block or parry all the ones aimed at his head. Finally, after the last kick, he caught an opening, smashing his elbow into her side.

"No, I guess not. Besides, I don't think Kim would have let that one in. One of the benefits of playing by the rules in a fight is that openings come to you."

To prove his point, he dodged a counter chop she threw and caught her in the face with a jab. She staggered back, shaking her head. Normally, he would have charged in, but he knew Kim to be a master of the feint and reasoned that Kigo would have the same skills. As a result, he faked a charge, only to pull up short just out of range, ducking to avoid the uppercut that would have been waiting for him. Kigo followed it with a downwards hammer fist, which he caught and used to flip over behind her. He intentionally rolled out of his landing, sweeping her legs with his own as he did so.

"Seriously," he laughed as she rolled forward to avoid smashing her face on the floor, "Kim's a much better fighter than this."

The only response was a renewed barraged of flying fists trailed by flaming red hair. Only one landed, but it was enough to send him crashing to the floor. His fists winked out, and he did not move.

Glancing around, Kigo saw Zorpox looking like a head on an anthill of rubble, and Shego hunched over gripping her side. The next thing she knew, a black and pink battle suit boot came flying in, followed immediately by a spinning kick from its twin. Kigo smiled when she saw the owner of the boot staring her down with emerald green eyes that matched her own.

"So, it's down to you and me, eh Julie?" she said with a smirk. "Mother against daughter?"

June glared at her. "Just like I told Zorpox he wasn't my father, you're not my mother. My mother is the one and only Kim Possible, the bravest, most caring, most giving woman I've ever known. You, Lady Kigo, are nothing like her."

Kigo smiled venomously. "Ah, but this is your mother's body. Can you actually fight your own mother in a real battle?"

June smiled in grim determination and dropped into a fighting stance. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

…

Over in the corner, Drakken was working furiously to complete repairs on the Reverse Polarizer. Wade was talking him through it, but they were having to do this without tools, making it a very slow process. Every now and then, Drakken would shoot out a foot and kick the still groggy and tied up Lars somewhere, usually in the head or chest, to make sure the henchman wasn't conscious enough to try anything.

"Nnnngg, Wade, where is that backup you promised? I need to focus on this thing, and I can't do that if I have to keep knocking this henchman back out to keep him from escaping."

"They just landed and he's on his way. Should be there in just a few minutes. Now take that blue wire and pull it out of the red port, then reattach it to the blue port."

Drakken did so, and immediately received a small jolt of electricity. "You might have warned me about the shock!" he complained in his usual whiny voice.

Wade rubbed his neck. "Sorry, didn't know that was going to happen. Next you need to pull out that microchip, turn it around, and reinsert it. This time you definitely need to watch out for the shock."

Drakken complied, and the H on the front of the machine blazed to life. "We did it!"

Wade shook his head. "Not yet. We only converted it back to an Attitudinator. Now we're going to have to re-convert it into the Reverse Polarizer again."

The blue-skinned man grumbled in disgust. "Nnnngg…fine."

* * *

Outside the Caribbean lair, the Team Go jet had landed quickly. Mego and the Wegos had rapidly jumped out, and Hego immediately took off again, never even bothering to shut off the engine. Mego dashed inside and headed for the Switch Room, while the Wegos pushed their duplication powers to the max, surrounding the island in rings of glowing red copies of themselves. Hego meanwhile started flying circles around the approaching Global Justice hover jet in an attempt to confuse them.

The pilot, an Agent Ferris, looked around worriedly. "Agent Gerhardt, Sir, Team Go is attempting hinder our efforts to infiltrate the island. At this point a ground assault would be ineffective."

Gerhardt growled in furious frustration. "Then drop us on the roof! I don't care how we do it, I just want those teenage mavericks apprehended along with the villains they're helping!"

Ferris spoke up again. "But Sir, what if Dr. Director is right, and we're wasting resources on this? Team Possible could handle this if we give them a chance to…"

Gerhardt's fury could be heard in his thundering voice. "I DON'T CARE WHAT THAT ONE-EYED BLEEDING HEART SAID! THOSE TWO HAVE BEEN A CONSTANT HINDRANCE TO GLOBAL JUSTICE, AND IT ENDS TODAY!" He turned towards the other twelve agents on board. "I don't care who it is, if someone tries to stop you, you take them out. I put this unit together because you are all more concerned about the job than the regulations that govern it. It's time for this spy network to take control and rid this world of evil, and the first step in that mission is the removal of these two villains and the two teenage mavericks who are always in our way! Now who are we?"

"GLOBAL JUSTICE, SIR!" came the militaristic reply.

"Lock and load!" Gerhardt turned back towards Agent Ferris. "Now, put us on the roof, or I'll make sure you're court-marshaled for treason and disobeying direct orders!"

"Yes Sir," Ferris replied nervously. As he maneuvered the hover jet for the drop, he couldn't help but think, _This man is completely crazy!_

…

Hego watched in disbelief as the hover jet positioned itself over the highest roof of the Caribbean island lair. Quickly, he pressed a comm button on the dash of the Team Go jet.

"Wade, they're on the roof. Gerhardt's assault has begun."

* * *

Will Du glanced out the window of the hover jet he'd taken his team in. For years he'd wanted to be a team leader, but what a mission to start out as one. If ever there had been strange orders, these were them. His mission profile dictated that his team's primary objective was to put a stop to the rogue operations of one Agent Ivan Gerhardt, the most ruthless Global Justice operative Will had ever met. Glancing over at the pilot, there was only one question on his mind.

"What's our E.T.A.?" he said firmly.

"Five minutes, Sir."

_Five minutes,_ Will thought glumly. _In five minutes this thing could be over._

_

* * *

_

Wade had never known such a panicked situation. Any other mission for Team Possible, whether it was Kim, Ron, or both of them, he'd been able to handle no problem. Not even the media frenzy had pushed his nerves like this. Now he found himself getting a small taste of what Dr. Betty Director must go through every day, and he didn't like it one bit. Every single bit of his system was running at full capacity, some of it even pushing at 110% of normal operation, and he himself felt his nerves quickly beginning to fray. Then he got the call from one branch of the operation that sent him into overdrive.

One of his view screens fired up, and the message was anything but wanted. "Wade, they're on the roof. Gerhardt's assault has begun." Hego sounded defeated as he relayed the status report, something Wade had never expected to hear out of the blue-colored leader of Team Go.

"Understood, Hego. You and the Wegos just try to stall them as best you can. We're almost ready for the switch back to take place. Oh, and make sure you don't stop any agents who have a bright-green mark on their sleeve."

Wade turned back towards the screen he'd been focused intently on for the past hour. "How's it coming, Dr. Drakken? We almost ready?"

The blue-skinned man shook his head nervously. "Still need to reconfigure a few wires. But Mego's here now, so I don't have to split focus anymore and can concentrate on this thing." There was the sound of a shock, and Drakken started shaking his fingers. "Nnnngg, stupid device."

Wade nodded. "Just hurry. And do your best to keep me informed on the fight. How's it going by the way?"

Drakken appeared to glance around the room. "The buffoon has broken out of his little rubble prison and is going against Shego again, still letting loose with that crazy laugh of his. Xander is up, but he appears groggy and his movements are somewhat erratic. Can't really tell about Kim Possible or her daughter. It's mostly just a storm of fists, feet, and blonde and red hair."

Wade took a deep breath. "Well, work fast. Gerhardt and his unit have begun their infiltration, and the last thing we need is for him to see Kim and Ron turned into Zorpox and Lady Kigo."

"Why is that?" Drakken asked with a scratch of his head.

Wade sighed. "Well, for one thing, they are the only ones that can testify that you and Shego have been switched to good."

"Hmmm…good point," Drakken replied sheepishly as he returned to work on the Reverse Polarizer.

Wade turned to the other screen he'd had on almost as long as the connection with Dr. Drakken. "Dr. Director, how long before Agent Du's team arrives?"

Dr. Director looked down at what Wade could only assume was a tracking monitor. "They should be there in three minutes, Wade. As soon as I regain radio contact I'll inform them of the situation, as well as give them the instructions to use one of their light sticks to put the green marks on both of their sleeves."

"Good," replied Wade. "If they don't do that, Team Go is going to try to slow them down. Also, make sure you tell them where the Switch Room is so they can find it easily."

"Roger. I'll make sure Will hears that personally."

* * *

The battles in the Switch Room were starting to reach a fever pitch. So far, Shego and Zorpox were evenly matched, as were June and Kigo. Xander was doing his best to help out, but he was still feeling the effects of his temporary knockout, making his plasma shots erratic. What was worse is that Zorpox seemed to have realized he had the morphing cesta basket, and was now tossing plasma blasts back at their original firers. Shego, of course, knew how to counteract this, but Xander seemed almost clueless how to react except by throwing up his plasma shield after every shot he took. After his next blast was sent back at him, Shego rounded on him.

"Stop doing that! If he's figured out a perfect counter to an attack, you need to try something different!" she yelled as she dodged a flying punch that had been aimed at her mid-section.

Xander shook his head, trying to remove the remains of the dizziness he was still feeling. "Sorry. Guess I'm still feeling the effects of Kigo's knockout punch."

Shego shook her head in disbelief as she dodged another of Zorpox's attacks. "Well we don't have time for recovery right now! So toughen up and get back into this fight!" She shot a quick glance over to where Dr. Drakken was working. "Hey, Dr. D., how we coming on that thing?"

Drakken looked up from the mess of wires he was working on. "I still need a few minutes!"

Shego growled her frustration as she leap-frogged off of Zorpox's back, simultaneously dodging his attack and sending him crashing to the ground. "Well, hurry up! I don't know how much longer I can keep up with this monkey-powered maniac!"

She landed awkwardly, and Xander took notice that she kept grabbing at her side where Zorpox had landed a lucky blow. It was only then that he realized exactly how dire a situation was taking shape. For some reason, he had temporarily forgotten that Shego was almost a month pregnant with him and his sister! Shaking his head a final time to clear his mind of any lightheadedness, he charged up his fists until they were literally blazing!

"Mom! Leave him to me for now! You need to rest a moment!"

Shego managed to catch Zorpox with a kick to his chest. "Not gonna happen, Xander! Even though I'm on the good side now, I'm not the sort to sit on the sidelines!"

Xander quickly dashed between his mother and Ron's evil alter ego. "I'm not saying you are, but in case you've forgotten, you're carrying two very important people with you. And this fight isn't helping your condition. Now please, let me take over here."

Shego looked at him, and suddenly felt an immense swelling of pride she couldn't explain for a son she barely knew. "Alright, I'll meet you halfway. You can take over the primary fighting, but I'm still going to be going in a support role."

Xander shook his head, realizing that was the best he was going to get. "Fine, just be careful." Then he turned to face Zorpox for the second time in his life.

Zorpox let loose with a high pitched cackle. "You are going to go against me? You don't even have the Mystical Monkey Power! How do you expect to defeat a master of it?" He flew at the young man with a haymaker punch intended to put Xander through a wall.

Xander got an odd grin on his face as he simply sidestepped the maneuver. "I may not have it, but I know a few techniques on how to counter it. Kind of a necessary evil you have to learn when your mission partner/girlfriend has the power as well, and could be turned against you at any moment."

Zorpox sneered menacingly as he recovered from the complete miss. "That's impossible. Only myself and that bumbling idiot Monkey Fist have the power, and the only way to get it was to use the power of the Jade Monkeys which were destroyed in our first battle." His follow-up kick was aimed to take Xander's head off.

Xander's smile got even wider as he caught the attack between his forearms and forced a deadlock for a few seconds. "I see Sensei hasn't told you yet. Doesn't matter, I guess, but it means that even you don't yet know the full extent or spectrum of the Mystical Monkey Powers. I do." With that he quickly rotated the foot he had caught, causing its owner to spin right along with it.

The villain crashed to the ground, but was up quickly. However, a plasma bomb he hadn't noticed Shego tossing at his feet went off at that exact moment, sending him flying backwards a few more feet. He managed to flip though, and landed on his feet with a short skid.

"Oooh, clever move, Shego. I see you two are finally starting to work as a team. But it will take more than badical teamwork to stop Zorpox the Conqueror. Think you have what it takes?" he taunted in his high-pitched cackle.

Xander smiled as he charged forward in a move reminiscent of his mother's battle charge, his backwards pointed fists seeming to give him even more speed. "Oh, I'm betting on it, buddy."

In the other duel going on, June was surprised that she seemed to be gaining a momentary advantage. She'd been able to completely block several of Kigo's attacks, and it appeared that openings in her opponents defense were coming a lot easier. If she didn't know better, she'd almost think the villainess was leaving herself open intentionally.

"What's the matter, Kigo? Losing your nerve?"

Kigo snarled at her. "As if. You're just getting lucky little girl. And you know what they say about luck—eventually it runs out!"

She let loose with a vicious side kick that caught the blonde girl in the side, causing June to bend almost in half from the force of it before the recoil sent her flying towards the wall on her right. June managed to somehow land on her feet and get a slight turn in so that she came up to the wall with her back to it. Using her hands and one foot to rebound off of it, she flew at her opponent in a flying tackle, catching the red head and one-handed slamming her into the ground before somersaulting out of the move. Surprisingly, she thought she had seen a proud smile on Kigo's face just before she pulled the slam. Then it hit her.

"Xander!" she called out in excitement. "I think they're fighting back!"

Her boyfriend's sarcastic reply rang loud and clear. "Well, no duh! If they weren't fighting back we could have had this thing wrapped up a long time ago!" he yelled as he exchanged blows with Zorpox.

June log rolled to avoid another vicious side kick. "Not what I meant! I think Kim and Ron are fighting back against Kigo and Zorpox!" She swept at the support leg of her opponent, sending Kigo into an involuntary back flip.

Xander perfectly blocked a cross-chop and held the pose for a second. "What are you talking about Jules? Your parents aren't here right now. They couldn't be with these two in control!"

June parried a punch and used the momentum to flip Kigo over her shoulder. "Think about it, X! We're getting way too many openings here for Zorpox and Kigo to be going all out! I think they're having to hold off the mental attack from my parents while they fight us!"

Shego, who had been observing both fights, suddenly got a smile. "You know something, Little Princess, I think you may be right. I know Kimmie's a much better fighter than that, cause I can't count the number of times I've tried that move you just tried and had it blow up in my face. And Poxie here isn't even coming close to displaying the skill Ron did against the Lorwardians."

"MY NAME IS ZORPOX!" came the aggravated roar as its owner left off fighting Xander and came flying at Shego in a full-forced fury. It was only the quick movement by June that knocked her out of the way, taking the full force of his attack head on. Her own Mystical Monkey Power flared up brighter than it had been when they had been fighting earlier, bathing all of the room and every occupant in a brilliant blue light—for a few brief moments, everyone looked like they had the same color skin as Dr. Drakken normally had. Their impact was so great that their energy flames joined for a few seconds, surrounding them both in a blinding ball of blue flame.

When the others were finally able to see, they saw June breathing hard, her extended fist smoking from the impact, and Zorpox seemingly frozen in mid-air as he seemed to drift backwards, his head turned to the side at an awkward angle. He crashed to the ground, and was very slow to get up. When he spoke, his breathing was somewhat wheezy.

"How…how did…how did you do that, you little brat?"

June grinned, her breathing quickly returning to normal and her energy flames dissipating until they merely curled around her like Ron's normally did. "Like I told you before, my dad is the greatest teacher in the world."

Xander was stunned like the rest of the occupants. "Jules, when did you learn how to do that?"

June smiled proudly, and was about say something when she suddenly got a very strange look on her face. Her flames when out instantly, and she slumped to the ground. As she did, the smirking face of Kigo appeared behind her.

"I told you little girl—luck eventually runs out," she sneered menacingly.

For some reason, that single act sent Shego into a rage. "That DOES IT, PRINCESS! YOU AND ME, RIGHT NOW!"

Kigo smirked and cocked her head to the side, an insane smile on her face. "Shego? You want to take me on, when you couldn't even take me while you cheated and I fought fair?"

Shego was fighting to control her fury. "I'm surprised you never realized something key about our fights," she growled as she leapt at the red-head.

Kigo grinned evilly as she dropped into a defensive stance. "And what is that? That you were holding back?"

Shego let loose with a spinning kick so fast no one saw it until it smashed into the side of Kigo's face, sending her hurtling across the room. "Got that right!"

Xander put his hand on his mother's shoulder. "Shego, what are you doing?"

Shego kept staring at Kigo as her opponent got up and cracked her neck side to side. "Xander, this is between me and her. Always has been, always will be. Besides, this is something I've known for some time I might be forced into."

Xander shook his head. "What are you talking about, Mom?"

Shego took a deep breath, never taking her eyes off Kigo or relaxing her fighting stance. "I saw a glimpse of this that night she kicked me into the Diablo signal tower at the Bueno Nacho HQ. That attack held none of Kimmie's normal restraint. It wasn't a far-reaching conclusion to figure that someone might try to use that rage one day. Adrena Lynn tried that a couple weeks ago, but Lars has taken farther than I thought possible. And I know I'm the only one who can honestly take her. Besides, it's the right thing to do."

Xander smiled. "The right thing to do. Guess that machine had its desired effect on you."

Shego cracked her neck to the side a few times, still breaking her stare at the red head before her. "Not entirely. I'm not sure why, but it's not exactly the same as when Electronique zapped me. However, I think I might like it better this way. I may be on the good side, but I haven't lost my edge this time, meaning I won't be surprised when my opponents pull low blows during a fight."

Xander sighed in reluctant agreement. "Just promise me you'll be careful here. She knows that your pregnant, and I'd bet anything she's going to try to use that."

Shego smirked. "Let her try. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd held back in our earlier fights." To prove it, she fired up her Go Team glow, brighter and more controlled than Xander had ever seen. "You just take care of Zorpox."

"I have a better idea," came a cold voice thick with Russian accent. "Why don't I take care of all of you?"

Xander and Shego turned slowly, and cold chills quickly began running down both their spines. Standing there was the imposing form of Agent Ivan Gerhardt, a high-powered automatic laser rifle trained on all of them. The look on his face was an evil grin full of extreme satisfaction. He pulled out a radio, and spoke with an icy confidence.

"This is Agent Gerhardt. Send reinforcements. I have the mavericks and the villains held at gunpoint."

* * *

a/n

As always, comments and reviews are always welcome. :)


	19. Chapter 19

A/N

Chapter 19 is up and running!

Sorry about the long break between updates, but I finally landed another job! However, like I said before, I'm still going to try to keep to the "one chapter every five days" I promised you guys. Anyways, on to the the story:

Gerhardt has arrived, and his presence is anything but welcome, especially for one person in particular. It also leads to something that nobody wants to happen.

The aftermath of the battle reveals some surprising revelations, and plans are made.

The events of the mission are revealed to those close to Team Possible.

An unexpected offer is made to a character who's not sure how to respond.

Finally, Team Possible deals with a sitch they never wanted, and Ron faces a decision he might live to regret.

So the drama!

And now for the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

"I have a better idea," came a cold voice thick with Russian accent. "Why don't I take care of all of you?"

Xander and Shego turned slowly, and cold chills quickly began running down both their spines. Standing there was the imposing form of Agent Ivan Gerhardt, a high-powered automatic laser rifle trained on all of them. The look on his face was an evil grin full of extreme satisfaction. He pulled out a radio, and spoke with an icy confidence.

"This is Agent Gerhardt. Send reinforcements. I have the mavericks and the villains held at gunpoint." He turned his focus back towards the room, his dark black mustache twitching in excitement. "Well now, isn't this a pretty picture. The villains and the 'heroes' going at each other, just like always. I told that half-blind fool that she shouldn't trust the word of two teenagers."

Shego's shock at his appearance quickly evaporated, replaced by annoyed fury. "Ivan. You're still the same as you were back in high school. You charge in and immediately take everything at face value, not even realizing that things aren't always what they appear."

Gerhardt eyes immediately went even more icy cold. "Don't even try to bring up the past, Sheila Godfrey. It won't work on me."

Shego threw her head back and laughed. "Me? Bring up the past with you? Hardly. It was probably one of the worst times of my life, and all you could focus on was getting the hot, super-powered freshman into some cheapo motel room after the prom!"

Xander and Drakken both looked at her incredulously. Neither of them had any inkling that she had ever dated Ivan Gerhardt, but from what Shego was saying they had done not only that but probably a little more.

"Mom?" Xander tentatively asked. "Are you saying that you and Agent Gerhardt…did it? But I thought you and your brothers hated him?"

Shego spat at the ground disgustedly. "And why do you think we hate this arrogant asshole? We never did that, but he sure tried to that night. Not sure who was angrier; my brothers for what he did or the Go City Motor Court for the damage I did to the room when I trashed him."

At that moment, Kigo flipped over them and landed between Gerhardt and Shego. "Not that I'm not enjoying seeing you taken down a few pegs, Shego, but…" She punctuated her intrusion with a jumping split kick, one foot catching Gerhardt's chest and the other one catching Shego's.

Surprisingly, Gerhardt's laser rifle flew out of his hands when he was kicked, and Xander seized the opportunity to send a plasma shot and blast it to smithereens. "Shego, I hate to say it, but it looks like you might have to take on your ex-boyfriend for a minute," he said as he glanced at her for only a second.

He barely got the words out before a fist smashed into his face. The blow sent him crashing into his mother, knocking them both to the ground in a bit of a daze.

"Tell you what," Kigo sneered. "How about I leave the rest of you here to deal with each other while I go have some fun?"

She again back-flipped through the air, this time over the staggered Agent Gerhardt and out the door he'd blasted open. She smiled maniacally when she landed, and before anyone could stop her she was gone.

At that moment, a triumphant yell came from the corner where Drakken was. "I've done it!"

The next minute, a beam laced out and caught the still dazed Zorpox full force in the chest, raising him up off the ground and suspending him in mid-air. The zap seemed to go on forever, but it eventually stopped, dropping him to the ground. He rose slowly, keeping his head down so that no one could see his face. For a few minutes, he staggered, trying to regain his balance.

June, who by this time had managed to come to, cautiously stepped forward. However, remembering the uppercut she'd gotten from Kigo at the beginning of the fight, she kept a safe distance from him, even keeping her Mystical Monkey Power just barely powered down.

"Dad?" When she got no response, she tried again. "Ron?"

"Ungh…what happened?" he asked as his head came up, the maniacal eyes and smile gone, replaced by a warm chocolate gaze and a slightly dizzy smile. "Where's KP?"

Everyone in the room, minus the still barely conscious Lars and the shocked Gerhardt, looked at him with mournful eyes. June stepped forward sadly.

"Dad, you both got turned evil, and she still is. Plus, she escaped before any of us could get our bearings and stop her. I'm sorry," she choked out as she embraced him in a hug.

Ron looked like he had just been gut-punched. He sank to the floor, and June sank right along with him. After a few minutes like that, his head slowly rose up, a righteous fury beginning to form on his normally calm face.

"Who's responsible for this?"

All eyes turned towards Gerhardt, and in less than a second, Ron had broken the hug and closed the distance between him and the agent, pinning him up against the wall with his left forearm. Though his energy flames had yet to show, his eyes were a cold steel blue.

"YOU BASTARD!" he yelled as he drew back his fist, preparing to smash the man's skull. It was only Shego's calm hand on his wrist that stopped him from making what might have been the biggest mistake of his life.

"Ron, he's not worth it. Trust me, I know," she said softly. "Besides, I don't think the Princess would like to hear that her new fiancé has become a cold-blooded murderer.

The young man calmed, but only barely. "Thanks Shego. But you do realize this man is responsible for this whole mess, right?" The whole time, he kept his forearm pressed savagely against the agent.

Gerhardt tried to break the hold, but couldn't. "You think this is my fault, you pathetic loser?" he spat. "You two should NEVER have started this crazy plan of taking missions. You've done this to yourselves."

"No, they didn't!" another voice called angrily from just outside the hole in the door.

"Who are you?" Drakken asked incredulously as the man stepped through.

"Global Justice Special Agent Will Du. Dr. Director sent me and my team to help out with Operation Switch. She is very interested in helping you and Shego to reform if this thing is legitimate."

Everyone was puzzled, but only Shego voiced it. "So if you're here, why is Ivan?"

A voice came from over by Dr. Drakken. "Because Dr. Director never authorized his mission."

Everyone turned, and saw the holo-Wade materializing out of Ron's Kimmunicator, which Drakken had propped it up on a crate next to where he was working. Mego and Gerhardt were both slightly taken aback by his appearance, but the rest were completely unfazed, all of them having seen the hologram's appearance at one time or another. Wade walked coldly towards Agent Gerhardt, and had he not been a hologram, his footsteps would have been thunderous pounds on the ground.

"The whole idea of the door to this room being locked was to keep Zorpox, Kigo, and Lars contained _inside_ so that we could fix this situation with relatively little incident. I was actually about to suggest it to Dr. Drakken when he did it on his own. Thanks to _you,_ Agent Gerhardt, Lady Kigo is now loose and free to do as she pleases. As a matter of fact, she dispatched several of your agents on the way out, and less than two minutes ago took off in the Sloth. Not only that, she managed to disable her tracking chip and the Sloth's GPS sensors, meaning I can't get a fix on her. Thanks to you, one of the biggest threats this planet has ever faced is now able to move about completely undetected!"

June spoke up. "Wait, what about her Kimmunicator? Wasn't she wearing it?"

"You mean this?" Will Du answered as he fished the watch-like device out of his pocket and tossed it to Ron, who released his hold on Gerhardt and caught it softly. "She said give that to Zorpox and tell him to come find her back where it all began. But since Zorpox is once again gone, it falls to you, Ron."

Xander scratched his head. "'Back where it all began?' What does that mean Ron?"

Ron shook his head as he sadly turned the device over and over. "I don't know Xander, I really don't know."

* * *

Kigo smiled to herself as she streaked out over the ocean. This turnout was just too perfect! She began gloating to herself.

"I can't believe I'm free! Wonder what I should do first?"

_How about turning this car around and heading back to the lair?_ a voice called angrily. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

"Who said that?" she asked furiously as she looked around the flying car and out the windows.

_I did, you bitch!_ the voice shouted again, this time a little more familiar to Kigo's ears.

"Where are you?"

_Look in the mirror, why don't you?_

Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the request, Kigo looked in the mirror. However, she didn't see her own cold, green eyes staring back at her. Instead, she saw eyes that normally laughed but were currently filled with disgust.

"Kim Possible, is that you?" Kigo snickered.

_Yeah, it's me, bitch! Now turn this thing around!_

As if in answer to the declaration, Kigo's hands involuntarily spun the steering wheel, causing the car to turn in a hard bank to the right, making an almost one-eighty.

"Nuh uh unh!" sneered Kigo as she corrected the course back towards her original destination. "I'm in control now, Kimmie, and we're going to do what I want to do."

_What do you mean now? _ Genuine confusion was mixed with Kim's fury.

"Oh, you mean you didn't know? I've been around for a while, Kimmie. Every time you let your emotions enter a fight, every time you take it just a little too far, that's me gaining strength. Eventually I would have taken over naturally when it finally became too much for you to contain or control, but this way is so much sweeter, don't you agree?"

_You and I are nothing alike! I promise you that!_

"Like daughter, like mother. That little blonde-headed brat told me the same thing back there, but both of you are wrong. Everyone has a dark side, Kim, even you. And I'm the physical manifestation of every negative thought and malicious action you've ever had or taken. I'm just a little stronger than most dark sides because of what you do with your free time. All the violence and adrenaline-pumping danger has been like a wonderful banquet to me."

_You are not stronger than me! I will find a way to beat you!_

"Like that could ever happen! And actually, we're about equal in every way. The only reason you managed to keep me at bay all this time is because you were here first. But now I'm in command, and I don't intend to ever give up control to you again."

Again Kigo's hands seemed to move on their own as the car swerved around in a one-eighty, and this time it kept going for a good twenty minutes before Kigo was able to regain control of her limbs and correct it.

"If you don't stop right now, I'll start doing things that really hurt you. And not just your reputation, Kimmie. I'll go for the heart!"

_Anyone you hurt would know it was you and not me. Especially Ron and my family._

Kigo grinned venomously. "Are you sure about that? What would your little boy toy say if his fiancée stuffed her engagement ring down his throat and told him to jump off a cliff?"

_Don't call him that! Besides, you couldn't do that if you wanted to. You may be the manifestation of my darker side, but I know you want Ron just as much as I do. I can read it all over your face._

Kigo growled in frustration. "See, this is the problem with sharing a mind with you. The best things I could do to you I can't do because they'd keep me from what I want too."

Kim breathed an inner sigh of relief—this must be what Ron dealt with daily to keep Zorpox contained. _So then what are you going to do?_

Kigo let loose a villainously sly smile. "Oh, just a few things you wouldn't let yourself do. Things that would make both of our lives easier and _sooooo_ much sweeter. That is, I will if that lame-brain of a boyfriend you have can figure out the clue I gave him."

_But Ron is still stuck as Zorpox, isn't he?_

The villainess laughed. "That would be delicious, wouldn't it? No need to deal with any objections if that's the case. However, I highly suspect that's not the case. And besides, even if he is back to his idiotic goofball self, he'll still be able to figure out where I'll be."

_Why did you give him that clue? It seems ferociously out of character for you._

"Because, Kimmie, I want what you want. But unlike you, I'm tired of waiting to get it."

* * *

As they trudged through Drakken's lair towards the giant computer at the ops center, there was a very subdued silence among the group. Lars and Gerhardt were both being guarded closely, each with a plasma-powered fist aimed directly at his back. Once they reached the ops center, they found Gerhardt's agent team disarmed and surrounded by Hego, several Wegos, and Agent Du's team. The group put Lars in a separate holding area, also surrounded by several Wegos and a few members of the good Global Justice team, and Gerhardt was forced to join his own unit in their confinement. Most of Drakken's fifty-five remaining employees were cleaning up the aftermath of the battle and beginning to make the needed repairs. Once the group reached the massive computer, Drakken fired it up again, pulling up the communications screen.

"Mind if I do this?" Will Du asked, and Drakken backed away, going over to stand next to Shego and put his arm around her.

Will punched in a few key codes, and in no time at all, the screen was split into three sections. One showed Wade Load, one Dr. Director, and the third showed the blurred out image of Dr. Director's superior.

"Special Agent Will Du, reporting in."

"Go ahead, Agent Du," replied the garbled voice of blurred-out.

"Skirmish at the former lair of Dr. Drakken and Shego is concluded. Reports that Shego and Drakken have been returned to good are confirmed beyond any shadow of a doubt. Ron Stoppable has been returned to his normal state."

"And Kim?" asked Dr. Director with a worried look.

Will glanced over his shoulder. "Due to the actions and decisions of one Agent Ivan Gerhardt and his team, Kim remains transformed into the villainess known as Lady Kigo."

"We wish to speak with Agent Gerhardt," said the garbled voice.

"Affirmative, Sir." Will turned towards the holding area for Gerhardt's team. "I want four of my team to bring Ivan Gerhardt over to here. Armed escort is recommended."

In a few short minutes, Gerhardt was standing before the screen, four Global Justice laser rifles trained at his back. His dark black mustache was drooping significantly.

"Agent Ivan Gerhardt, you have heard the accusations made by Special Agent Will Du. How do you respond?"

Gerhardt stood tall, but it was obvious he was feeling very little confidence. "I hesitated, Sir. If I had not, these villains and mavericks, including Agent Will Du and his rebellion, would have been apprehended."

"QUIET!" roared the blurred-out screen, causing the whole room to shake. "Agent Gerhardt, Will Du and his team were not rebelling. They were under direct orders, from us we might add, to assess the situation and act as they felt Global Justice should act. If that meant stopping you and your rogue mission, that that is what they were supposed to do."

"But Sir, this was clearly a cover-up once again devised by Dr. Director in an attempt to once again shield these maverick teens from being prosecuted by the authorities they constantly interfere with."

"SILENCE! Agent Gerhardt, the only cover-up _we_ see is the one you yourself orchestrated for this mission! We also notice that you filled your team only with those agents who have repeatedly been called up on disciplinary charges for multiple rule and regulation violations. We begin to wonder if your so called 'great successes' in the field have not all been achieved utilizing these subversive and under-handed tactics. What have you to say on the matter, Dr. Director?"

Dr. Director took a deep breath. "Sir, I realize that I am the head of Global Justice and thus my opinion is wanted on this matter. However, I feel I am too close to this situation to give an unbiased opinion."

The person on the blurred screen appeared to nod. "We applaud that, Betty. However, we still want your input, even if it is biased. As far as we are concerned, you are still this man's commanding officer."

"In that case, I would have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment about Agent Ivan Gerhardt's tactics, Sir. There have even been a few cases where valuable intel was most likely lost because due to his ruthless interrogation techniques."

"A disturbing revelation indeed. Very well then. Ivan Gerhardt, you and your current team, apart from your pilot, Agent Ferris, are hereby suspended, without pay, pending a full investigation into your past and present actions. During this time, you are to be stripped of any and all status and privileges associated with your positions. You are therefore ordered to accompany Special Agent Will Du back to Global Justice Headquarters, where you will be placed in the security facility for questioning. Any resistance to these orders will be taken as an immediate and irrevocable admission of guilt on this matter. Is that understood, Gerhardt?"

Gerhardt was perplexed. "Affirmative Sir, but may I ask why Agent Ferris is not included in this?"

"Since it is somewhat relevant, you may. Shortly after your team's departure from the hover jet, Agent Ferris informed us of his suspicions that you had in fact become obsessed with stopping Team Possible, and that that obsession was making you unfit to command or even be a trustworthy agent. We thusly informed him to pull away from the island to a distance of one mile and wait for Agent Du's team to arrive. He complied without confrontation, even with the order that he was to turn over control of that hover jet to a member of the other agent team. His actions show how _you should_ have acted when Agent Du's team arrived, instead of ordering your men to remove anyone who got in your way."

Gerhardt bowed his head in shame. "Understood Sir." The four agents guarding him then escorted him back to the holding circle.

"Now then, Special Agent Du, what is your assessment of this new threat?"

Will bowed his head. "I am sorry to say that I have only barely come face to face with this Lady Kigo, just long enough for her to give me a message for Ron Stoppable."

"Understood," replied the garbled voice. "Will Ron Stoppable please step forward?"

Ron, who had been holding June for mutual support, nodded and stepped forward. "I am Ron Stoppable."

"Mr. Stoppable, we require your expert advice on this matter."

Ron sighed, his heart feeling heavier than it ever had in his life. How was he going to do this?

Dr. Director seemed to sense his agitation at the situation. "Just tell us what you think is best, Ron," she reassured warmly.

Ron took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "I can only tell you what I know, Sir, and that is to compare the situation to my time as Zorpox. Kigo now possesses all the skills Kim had, and is the one in control of those abilities. However, if her experience is anything like my own, Kim is still in there fighting to regain control. In addition we currently have in our possession a machine that could return her to her normal state. This device is the same one that was used to reform Electronique, Drakken, and Shego, and it is also the same one that has converted both me and Team Go to evil and back at various times."

"And you have this device in your possession right now?"

Ron nodded. "Yes, we do. However, before you ask, we have obtained information that necessitates its destruction immediately after we return Kim to normal."

"That is…acceptable, Mr. Stoppable. We at Global Justice realize that this device must never again be allowed into the wrong hands. Now, how do you suggest we proceed on this matter?"

Ron bowed his head. "Before I answer that, I have some requests to make."

"And they are?"

Ron stood up straight and tall; June had never before seen him display such a conviction and confidence in his actions, at least not that she could remember.

"I want full control of this situation to be turned over to Wade and myself. Nothing is to be done without our approval. Also, unless we okay them, no press releases whatsoever. That includes leaks."

"Ron, I don't think that is going to be…" Dr. Director started to say.

"Done," cut in the garbled voice. "However, in exchange, we have some requests of you. If we do this and you are successful, both you and Kim Possible must then agree to attend our sponsored college, Global Vanguard U., and receive training as agents in addition to your scholastic educations. We also request that you both give serious consideration to joining our organization as full agents after you obtain your degrees, although we will not force the issue on you unless it is deemed necessary. Are we in agreement?"

Ron couldn't help it, and laughed. "You realize we already sent in our acceptance letters to that place, right?"

The garbled voice seemed puzzled. "Really? We were informed by Agent…" There was a long pause. "Dr. Director, your faith in these young people is well placed, and you may rest assured that your job is safe for the foreseeable future."

"Thank you, Sir," she replied, relief evident on her face.

"Now, Mr. Stoppable, since you have already agreed to our terms, we agree to yours, as long as this situation is wrapped up within two weeks time. After that, we step in take control. Is that condition understood?"

Ron nodded, and a grim determination set in. "Yes, but we won't need that long."

The blurred image nodded, and the connection was severed, leaving only Wade and Dr. Director on the screen.

Wade nodded, returning the determined look in Ron's eyes. "So, how do you want to do this, Ron?"

Ron took a deep breath. "First things first. We clean up here, and then tell her family."

Wade sighed. "Right. I'll set up a ride for you, Xander, and June."

Drakken shook his head. "No need for that, Wade. We'll give them a ride in the hover car."

Ron sighed. "No thanks, Dr. D. We'll catch a ride with Will, if you don't mind. We need to start coordinating this thing. Besides, you and Shego need to talk to her brothers, and begin strategizing here. This thing could easily take everything we've got to resolve."

"What about Future Boy there?" asked Xander as he thumbed back at Lars. "We can't let him go, either."

Ron turned towards Betty on the screen. "Got a special holding cell anywhere that's watched 24/7?"

Dr. Director nodded. "Yes we do."

Ron smiled. "I want this guy in there, and give him the highest security level you have. Any food or water goes through one of those little doors after being checked by two other agents other than the one who made it. And the only ones who go in to see him are Xander and June after a full bio-scan like the one you gave me and Kim the day we met with you in Go City."

Dr. Director nodded. "You got it, Ron. Agent Du, take care of it, and tell me as soon as he's locked up which cell he's in. Furthermore, no one but the agents in the facility and the trustworthy people in this room are to know who he is or why he's there."

"Alright, let's do this," Ron said with a weary sigh. "Kigo's not gonna wait forever."

* * *

The ride back to Middleton was very quiet on both hover jets despite Ron's insistence that it was for planning purposes. Ron actually spent the better part of it in the back room of the craft he rode in, only asking that June and Xander be the only ones to keep him company. When they finally emerged Ron's eyes were slightly red, but nobody said anything about it, not even Will. The only things he and Ron exchanged just before the three teens were dropped off at the Stoppable house were important contact information and bare bones details about the coming week. Ron also informed the Global Justice agent of the plans for the Reverse Polarizer and its blueprints, since they had brought both with them so that Wade could examine them and make better repairs.

June realized it would be best if her grandparents didn't see her, so she and Xander activated their stealth modes and left for Wade's house soon after they landed, carrying the helmet and its plans with them. That meant that Ron was forced to face the reactions from his and Kim's parents alone. He slowly trudged up to the front door as the Monday morning sun began to rise, his feet feeling heavier and heavier with each step; the echoes of each one literally rang in his head and his heart. Opening the door, he found all four adults sitting around the dining table drinking their morning coffee and discussing what he could only guess was his and Kim's recent engagement.

"Hello, Ronald," his dad stated with a smile. "Where's our future daughter-in-law this morning?"

Ron took a deep and ragged breath. "You all might want to put your coffee cups down. Something's happened to Kim, and it's going to be a bit of a shock to hear about it."

The reactions were to be expected. It took him around thirty minutes to relate the full story of what had occurred in the Caribbean islands, or at least as much as he could without telling who June and Xander were. They all listened intently, the smiles they had been wearing slowly being replaced with horror-struck looks. His own parents, having been through this before when Kim explained his turning to Zorpox to them, were very sympathetic to how he was feeling and told him not to worry, he could fix this. The Possibles, on the other hand, sat there in a state of shock for a few minutes before Anne broke down crying. When James couldn't console her, Ron's mother came over to tend to her, and James asked for a word with Ron in private. He followed Kim's dad out into the back yard, where they sat in chairs on opposite sides of the back patio table. The clouds up above were crisply white against the azure blue sky, at complete odds with the gloomy and sorrowful atmosphere that had settled over the Stoppable house that morning.

"Ronald, I have some very real questions to ask you, and I want you to understand I'm just trying to get a more solid grip on what's happened," James said after a minute of silence.

"What's up, Dr. P.?" Ron's words were the same, but any trace of the normally jovial tone that accompanied them was completely gone.

"Ronald, is there any chance of getting Kimmie-cub back to the way she was?"

Ron sighed. "Yes, there is, but it's not going to be easy. Wade currently has the device at his house, and he's going over the plans to make sure nothing goes wrong this time. But even if it's working perfectly again, we still have to find a way to zap her with it."

James nodded glumly. "What about Kigo? What's she going to do?"

Ron shook his head. "I honestly don't know. Part of what that machine does is remove almost all of your inhibitions that were based on pure thoughts, and I have no idea what all Kim wouldn't let herself do. I mean, I know some things, but I don't know all of it."

"Like what?" James's tone was anything but interrogative. He seemed like a young child who was having to come to grips with the death of a grandparent he'd been close to.

Ron looked down sadly. "Well, I know one thing neither one of us would let ourselves do is know each other intimately. We've been doing our best to hold off until we're married. We both have this image of our wedding night, and we want that to be the first time we have something like that. But other than that, I honestly have no idea."

James was solemn. "Do you think she'd go somewhere else to get it?"

Ron shook his head. "No. Kim won't let her."

James looked up in surprise. "But I thought Kigo has control right now."

Ron shrugged. "I can't really explain how, but I know whenever I've been Zorpox I've been able to stop him from doing certain things, like hurting Kim for example. Plus, in a twisted way, he wants her as much as I do. I think it's the same for Kim and Kigo. When it comes to base desires, they both want the same things. But unlike Kim, Kigo's sense of right and wrong is twisted on its ear, so she might let herself do things that Kim wouldn't. Like maybe go after Bonnie if Bonnie manages to get under her skin. Or try to have sex with me without my consent."

James looked at the young man, a slight sheen to his eyes. "And what happens if you can't bring Kimmie back?"

"I honestly don't know," Ron replied as he took a weary breath. "Global Justice gave us two weeks, regardless of what she does. After that, if she does anything serious they take her down. Whether that means knocking her out, arresting her, or…" He couldn't say the last option, but James understood what he meant just by the look on Ron's face.

"And can you fix her after they arrest her or knock her out?"

Ron nodded. "Yes, but they'll only ignore what she does as Kigo if we fix it within the two weeks. After that, everything she does will go on Kim's record and she'll be held responsible for it."

James took a deep breath and nodded. "Ron, I know it looks grim, but there's something I want you know. Both me and Kim's mom believe that when it comes to making our daughter happy or taking care of her, your nickname in football really applies—you really are Ron UnStoppable. And we both know you'll figure out a way to make this right."

Ron smiled a little. "Thanks. I just hope I'm up to the task." Then he thought of something. "Umm, there is one thing I need to ask of you and Mrs. Dr. P. though, if you don't mind."

James looked at him quizzically. "What's that Ronald?"

Ron tilted his head down and looked at Kim's father through the top of his eyes. "You haven't released an announcement in the papers about me and Kim yet, have you?"

James shook his head sadly. "No. We were hoping to get a new picture of the two of you first."

Ron nodded. "I promise you'll get that Sir, but this might be for the best. The minute that story hits, the press is gonna be all over Kim and me. And the last thing we need is for some paparazzi photographer get a picture of her while she's transformed into Lady Kigo."

James smiled proudly. "I guess you're right, Ronald. You know, I may not say this much, but I'm very proud of the man you're becoming. And I know that Kim is too."

Ron sighed. "Thanks, Dr. P."

* * *

Back at the Caribbean lair of Dr. Drakken, a very unexpected proposal had been made shortly after the Global Justice hover jets picked up their passengers and left.

"You want me to what?" Shego exclaimed in disbelief.

Hego merely smiled as he restated the offer. "We want you to come back to Team Go as the leader, Sis."

Shego shook her head in confusion. "Okay, say there's a slim chance I might be interested. Why would you want me to become the leader when I've basically been doing everything opposite to you guys for the past six years?"

Wesley grinned at her. "Because Hector's finally realized that the main reason we were successful was with you around, and that part of that has to do with the fact that despite the fact he was the leader, it was you who normally led the way."

Werner continued. "It also comes from the fact that you're able to keep all of us focused, and you don't bore the two of us or Mego with hour-long debriefings. Plus, you don't have to have the obvious stated for you."

Mego sighed. "And as much as I hate to say this, without you around I get too caught up in myself."

Shego choked a little on her suppressed laugh. "Somebody call the papers. Melvin just admitted he's self-centered."

Hego cleared his throat. "Getting back to the reason we're here, please. What do you say, Sheila? Will you consider it?"

Shego took a deep breath. "I really don't know, Hector. I mean, sure, part of me wants to. But I also want to give these kids a normal life," she said as patted her stomach. "That's one of the main reasons me and Andy went through with this switch."

"And the other?" her eldest brother questioned, eyeing both his sister and her boyfriend intently.

Drakken sat back casually. "Honestly? We liked winning for a change. And being congratulated for what we did."

Hego smiled. "I can certainly appreciate that reasoning. And just so you know, I'm giving my okay for you two to move into Go Tower if you wish. We'd be happy to have you."

Shego nodded. "Thanks, Hector. We really appreciate it. I have a feeling this whole situation proved just how vulnerable this place is."

Drakken looked off to the side in annoyance. "Hey, I'm working on the security upgrades. That's part of the reason I was so happy that so many of our employees decided to stay."

Hego shook his head. "Just one thing, though, for when you come to live in Go City. If you see me in uniform, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could call me Hego."

Mego rolled his eyes, and the twins shook their heads.

"Look, Hector, you can't expect Sis to adhere to that," interjected Wesley.

"Especially when the rest of us don't have the luxury of looking normal like you do," finished Werner.

"Particularly me," added Mego.

Shego nodded. "Hate to say it, but they're right. Old habits die hard, Hector. Besides, why do you work so hard to keep your identity secret? It's not like it would make a big commotion if everyone knew who you really were."

Hego looked at her intently. "I have my reasons, Sis."

Shego laughed a bit. "Like what? So our parents can find us if they ever come back?"

His silent nod caused all the other Godfrey mouths, except for Shego's, to drop open in surprise. She merely stared at him like he'd lost every last one of his marbles.

"Hector, Mom and Dad are dead. They were killed in a car wreck a year after the comet hit us. Get that through your thick hero skull." After a moment of silence, she raised an eyebrow at him. "They are dead, aren't they?

* * *

Ron had never felt more like a stranger in his own home. Somehow the fact that Kim wasn't in the downstairs guestroom hit him hard. It had only been about a month since the Possibles had moved in to the Stoppable house, but the very idea that Kim wasn't sleeping or reading or something in the next room was a hard pill for him to swallow. Adding to that bitter taste was the knowledge that he and Kim should be celebrating and telling their friends and the world of their recent engagement. Even worse, he knew Kigo had given him a clue as to where he would find her, but he couldn't for the life of him figure it out.

_Give that to Zorpox, and tell him to come find me back where it all began._

He'd been by Building Blocks Preschool several times since then, thinking that was what she meant. He'd even spent a full twenty-four hour period watching it, hoping she'd show, but she never did. He'd also pulled an all-night vigil with the Bueno Nacho headquarters, where he'd first told Kim about his feelings. He'd even sat outside Bueno Nacho and Chez Couteaux on stakeouts, but so far no sign of her. He was racking his brain for the answer, but could never seem to find it. June and Xander were helping with the search, both together and separately, but both were coming up with absolute goose eggs. Even Wade was running out of ideas.

"I don't know what to tell you, Ron. I'm stumped," the young man told his friend when Ron stopped by Friday morning around 7:00 AM after spending most of the night sitting across the street from the Possible's demolished home.

It had been four days now, and the exhaustion factor was beginning to set in on both of them, particularly Ron. Wade knew that the blonde-haired young man had barely slept a wink since the incident, and was becoming worried what would happen if they were able to locate Lady Kigo and confront her. The tech genius had also been running all their missions through the database, looking for any clue that might give them more information. But so far, neither of them could find the answer to the puzzling riddle.

"I suppose we should be grateful Kigo hasn't done anything of the hardcore villain variety yet," Wade remarked as another round of filtered searching on the mission database brought up less than nothing.

Ron nodded dejectedly. "Yeah, I guess."

In the past few days, there had been a small string of small-scale robberies all around Middleton, all purported to have been committed by a red-haired woman with an insane look on her face. Thankfully, no one had as of yet been able to identify the culprit, but all those who were aware of the situation knew exactly what was going on, especially when a certain black and purple outfit was left at one of the burgled stores. The shop was an out of the way boutique that specialized in clothes for "ladies with attitude"—the basic black leather and tight clothes store that might be frequented by a girl who hung around street gangs. All that was taken was a pair of tight fitting black pants, a set of thigh-high black boots with stiletto heels and a lot of metal studs, a tight fitting black girl's workout shirt, a polished leather jacket with plenty of metal adornments, and a pair of dark biker sunglasses with triangle-shaped mirror lenses. Every single thing in the pilfered ensemble was going to be skin-tight on Kigo, but there could be no doubt she was probably the one who had done it.

Wade and Ron had of course immediately contacted the Middleton Police as soon as they heard about the abandoned outfit, less than fifteen minutes after the culprit escaped. In a stroke of luck, the officers assigned to the case were Officer Flores and Detective Jack Zane. Flores of course knew Kim through his daughter Zita, while Zane was a rookie whose first big case would have been left unsolved without Team Possible's assistance. They'd immediately reassured the two young men that they would do all they could to help from a law enforcement standpoint. But still, even with the MPD's guarded assistance, things weren't looking good.

Monique came down the stairs, carrying two large cups of coffee; each was already fixed the way its future drinker preferred. Both young men, and especially Ron, were basically only functioning on adrenaline and the copious amounts of caffeine and energy drinks that continued to course through their systems.

"Any luck guys?"

Wade shook his head and rubbed his eyes, which had become exhausted from staring at his computer screen for the first time in his life. "None so far, Monique. And we're running out of leads in a hurry."

The young woman smiled and handed the mugs to her friends. "Well, don't worry. I'm sure the two of you can figure this out. Have you tried looking at the clue from Kim's point of view?"

"What do you mean? We've been over every single thing that ever happened between me and Kim, as well as everything that ever happened between Kim and Zorpox." Ron was glum as he downed his brew, the speed of his draining it causing him to choke and cough.

"Careful, Ron," Monique admonished as shook her head. "Kim wouldn't be happy with you if you put yourself in the hospital just because you can't calm down. And anyways, that's not what I meant. Try looking at it as Kim from Kim's point of view."

Both guys fixed her with very confused looks.

The African-American beauty smiled. "Think about who Kim is, how she thinks, what she wants. Then approach it from that point of view."

Suddenly Wade slapped his forehead. "Oh, I am so stupid. Or blind. Or both."

"What's up, Wade?" Ron asked in surprise

The tech genius turned towards his friend. "Think about it, Ron. We've been attacking this from the angle that she meant you as a couple. What if she meant…"

"Her first mission…Mr. Paisley?"

Wade rubbed his chin. "Not what I was thinking, but that's another good one. What about where Zorpox first appeared?"

"The Annual Super-Villain Trade Show and Convention? But that already happened this year," Ron replied, puzzled.

Monique quickly caught on. "Yes, Ron, but the hotel convention center where it took place is where you two told me Zorpox first showed up. And what better place for her to hide out than in a hotel? She is old enough to get a room now. And what does Kim want to do that would probably require a private room?"

Ron thought for a moment before the answer sideswiped him, helped along by a frustrated pop upside his head by his fiancée's BFF.

"C'mon Ron, TAI. I know you're not that dense."

Ron's face suddenly lit up and fell at the same time. "She wants a room because Kigo wants what Kim wants, and doesn't have a moral conscience to stop her. She wants me where she can get me alone and have sex."

Monique nodded an affirmative. "Though I doubt Lady Kigo's going to be too worried about intimacy or setting the mood. Not if what you've told me about her is true."

Wade meanwhile was working the keyboard of his computer furiously. "Got it! And you're right, Monique. A woman named Kira Godard checked into that hotel. Sounds like Kigo."

Ron scratched his head. "Gonna have to explain to me how you know that one, Wade."

Wade smiled. "Well, other than the surveillance footage of the hotel lobby, look at the alias she chose. 'Kira' means 'dark' in Gaelic, and the name 'Godard' refers to a god-like status in German. In other words, she's calling herself a 'dark god', something that seems to fit Kigo's personality perfectly."

Monique grinned. "So then all Ron has to do is go there, confront Kigo, and use the Reverse Polarizer to change her back."

Wade shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy. Kigo most likely knows by now that Zorpox is gone and Ron is back, meaning that she knows the machine works. She's going to be completely on guard about it." He reached over and patted the device, which had been sitting on his desk since the morning Xander and June brought it to him. "Plus, there's still a few bugs left over from the damage Lars did to this thing's programming. I've been working on it constantly, but I can't guarantee it's going to work like it should."

"Meaning?" Ron said with a worried look.

"Well, for the immediate future, it means that we might not get all of Kigo out of Kim's system. Beyond that, I'm afraid we can't guarantee that she won't someday reappear, and that might not even require this helmet's assistance. Same thing goes for Zorpox."

Ron shuddered a bit. "But Wade, I don't even sense him like I used to."

Wade shook his head. "That may be, Ron. But if you ever lose control of your emotions, it might be enough of an opening for him. Think of it this way. Right now Zorpox, and later Kigo when we use this thing on her, is like water contained within a balloon. All it will take is a small prick to that balloon, and all of that water can come pouring out. Same thing with Zorpox and Kigo. Both you and Kim are going to have to be extra careful, especially on missions where you have to go all out. Otherwise, we could end up right back here."

Monique stared at him intently. "But isn't there anything you can do, Wade?"

The tech genius sighed. "That's what I've been trying to do these past few days. Based on the modifications Electronique made, I've been trying to make this thing into a combination of the original design of the Attitudinator and the newer version of the Reverse Polarizer. If I can work it out, it might be possible to remove the evil instead of masking it. The problem is that if I remove too much, it's theoretically possible that Kim will lose her competitive nature completely."

Ron suddenly understood. "And if that happens, she would become much less effective as a fighter and world-saver, right?"

Wade nodded. "Exactly."

Ron shook his head in frustration. "Okay, how much longer do you need?"

Wade looked at the helmet's blueprints and his own schematics. "A day at least. Why?"

The blonde-haired young man stood up and started walking towards the stairs. "I just needed to know how long I'm going to have to stall Lady Kigo when I find her."

Just before he placed his foot on the first step, however, he froze and turned around slowly. Both Wade and Monique saw the nervous cold sweat that had broken out on his face.

"Wade, man, what _am_ I gonna find there waiting for me?"

* * *

On the tenth floor of the Middleton Galleria Hotel & Convention Center, a red-haired young woman used binoculars to stare out the window at a house on the opposite side of town, a house she knew quite well. She had watched the young man leave and come back several times now, each time hoping that his departure from the domicile meant he was coming here. But every time so far her hopes had been dashed as he returned once more to his home. It was no different this time as he arrived back at the house and reentered. Kigo brought the binoculars down and snarled in frustration.

"Geez, Kimmie, that boy is denser than I thought."

The response from the reflection in the window was as full of fury as ever. _You know this is never going to work, Kigo._

Kigo laughed. "Oh? And why is that, Kim?"

_Because Ron and I are waiting for the right moment, that's why!_

The villainess laughed again. "And who says this isn't the right moment? Besides, Stoppable's a guy, and all guys want this."

Kim's anger was slowly dissipating, but her belief in her fiancé's actions remained strong. _Ron knows you aren't me, and he'll know that this isn't how I want it happen. Plus, he has a vision of our first time as well, and I can assure you it definitely doesn't include some a bitch who wants it solely so she can say she's had it._

Kigo smiled venomously. "But how can you be sure. As far as I know, you two have never had a serious talk about this; only near misses where you had short discussions until you felt less uncomfortable. Like the other night after your birthday party."

Kim smiled confidently. _Its nights like that one that show me just how much I can trust him. He loves me more than anything, and he wants our first intimate encounter to be special for both of us, not just him._

Kigo raised the binoculars again, this time seeing him leave the house and for the first time head in her direction. She grinned with satisfaction. "But what if he thought it was you? Have you considered that?"

_What on earth are you talking about? There's no way he could ever mistake you for me._

The villainess snickered a bit. "Are you sure about that Kimmie? If I were to put on that sweet smile of yours, and strip down in front of him, are you absolutely sure he wouldn't be distracted enough to think it was just you playing the bad girl?"

Kim stared at her with a smirk on her face. _If you think for one second that Ron's going to fall for that, you don't know him at all. He can sense when something's bothering me or wrong with me when even I don't realize it. He'll have this sitch figured out the minute he lays eyes on you. Plus, I'll bet the first time he sees you he blasts you with the Reverse Polarizer. Then I'll be back in control, and you'll never be heard from again._

Kigo looked down and suddenly grinned. "Looks like we're about to find out which of us is right. You're boy toy just arrived at the front door, and it looks like he doesn't even have that stupid machine with him."

Although she continued to smile, Kim suddenly felt very worried. If Ron didn't have the device with him, why would he have come? Could he really be planning to go through with this in this manner? And if so, did she truly know him at all?

...

Ron knew the confidence he exuded as he entered the lobby of the Middleton Galleria Hotel and walked up to the front desk was completely false. The feeling was intensified by the fact that his insides were complete jelly. However, he did his absolute best to appear strong.

"Hi. Name's Ron Stoppable," he told the front desk clerk. "I'm here to see a Miss Kira Godard."

The clerk smiled and nodded at him. "Of course, Sir. She informed us you would be coming. Miss Godard is located in room 1006 on the tenth floor. Here is a card key."

"Thank you," Ron replied as he accepted the flimsy piece of plastic and slipped into his pocket, acutely aware as it slid against the other items already secured there.

As soon as he entered the elevator, he pressed the button for the tenth floor and leaned against the back wall, thankful he was alone. He pulled out one of the items in his pocket and stared at it, turning it over and over in his palm. The square package with the raised circle in the middle both excited and terrified him, just as the action it was used for did. He sighed in resignation, knowing that this was how it had to be done. Kim might not like it, but he could honestly think of no other way to get what he wanted. Pulling himself up to his full height as a ding signaled his arrival at his destination, he took a deep breath. Thankfully, Room 1006 was close to the elevator, so he had no time to reconsider his plan. The minute he opened the door, he felt his breath catch in his chest.

The girl standing there was clad in skin-tight black leather pants that left little to the imagination, and the leather jacket was cut just right in all the best places so that it accented her curves beautifully. She turned around slowly, and the look in her softened green eyes wasn't snarling or glaring, but one of frightened worry.

"Ronnie?" she said tentatively.

"KP, is that you?" he asked slowly.

She smiled at him. "Uh huh. Ronnie, I'm scared. I managed to get control of her, but I don't know how long I can keep her that way."

Ron grinned. "Don't worry. I'm here, KP, and I won't let anything happen to you."

The red-head grinned as she rushed forward and embraced him. "Thanks Ronnie. I needed to hear that."

"Anything for my KP," he replied as he softly stroked her back before kissing her gently.

She returned the kiss with an equal tenderness, and then pulled back slowly and looked into his eyes. "Ronnie, I was thinking. Kigo used my credit card to rent this room, so technically the room is in my name. Plus, it's only 8:00, and checkout isn't until 11:00, so we've got three hours to do what we want up here. And I was wondering if…"

Ron grinned at her. "You want to take things further with us?"

She smiled softly. "Could we?"

The young man thought about it for a moment. "Boo yeah."

The red-head grinned. "I don't suppose you brought anything, did you?" she asked sexily as she slowly began to take off her clothes, putting everything she had into the sensual striptease. Soon she was completely naked.

Ron nodded as he removed his jersey and shirt. "Actually, I've had something with me for a while now," he answered as he pulled the square package out of his pocket. "But before we use this, I want to try something first."

"What's that, Ronnie?"

Ron pulled out the other items in his possession, and her eyes went wide.

"Oooo, my BF wants to get a little kinky," she purred as she fingered the blindfold and the four sets of handcuffs.

"If it's alright with you, that is," he said nervously.

She grinned. "It's fine with me. Just as long as we make sure to end this with both of us getting something out of it."

"Of course, KP," he answered as he pulled her close that they were touching bare chest to bare chest. "I promise neither one of us'll be virgins when we finally leave here." With that, he carried her over to the bed and laid her down softly, kissing her with a tenderness he reserved only for her.

_Ron, NO! Don't do this! That's not me!_

_

* * *

_

a/n

A great big THANK YOU to everyone who is reading and reviewing. Thanks to your efforts and reviews, I've recently crossed the "6.7k hit mark and the "100 review" mark. I never expected this thing to get this big or be this popular. *large bow* I really don't deserve it, but evidently you think I do. So THANK YOU! *2nd large bow*

And as always, comments and reviews are always welcome. :)

* * *

***On a side note, I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of **cpneb**, a great member of the Kimmunity and fantastic author who passed away recently. I highly recommend you go check out his page here, as he has some unbelievably good stories.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N

Chapter 20 is up and running!

This is it! The final chapter of **Changes**, although there is still the Epilogue to follow. And since it's the final chapter, I'm breaking form and not posting any summary. You'll just have to read through to see what happens! ;)

Hope you enjoy!

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

She grinned. "It's fine with me. Just as long as we make sure to end this with both of us getting something out of it."

"Of course, KP," he answered as he pulled her close that they were touching bare chest to bare chest. "I promise neither one of us'll be virgins when we finally leave here." With that, he carried her over to the bed and laid her down softly, kissing her with a tenderness he reserved only for her.

_Ron, NO! Don't do this! That's not me!_

_

* * *

_

June was incredulous as she listened to Wade's recounting of what had taken place so far that morning. What was even more unbelievable was the course of action her teenage father had chosen to pursue.

"Wade, I don't care how confident Ron is; he never should have gone after Lady Kigo alone."

The young woman and her boyfriend had just returned to the tech genius's house after another night of fruitless searching for her teenage mother's villainous alter ego, just in time to see Ron take off down the street towards his own house. He'd been unusually silent, even compared to the past four days, and she was becoming worried that he might crack under the strain. So she'd asked Wade what was going on, and he'd related what he, Ron, and Monique had figured out, as well as telling them Ron's decision on the matter.

"Jules, you have to understand how Ron thinks to get why he chose this," Xander said with a calming hand on her shoulder. "Your dad is probably the most over-looked genius there is when it comes to how to deal with certain problems. Yes, he might do things that make no sense, but you and I both know that his track record speaks for itself."

Wade nodded. "Xander's right on this, June. There are times I wonder just what Ron could be capable of if he ever gets a serious amount of focus behind him, and I think this is one of the times he's done just that. He thought of everything here, even what he'd have to do. However, I did disagree with him on doing this alone, and said that one or both of you should accompany him. Just like you, I know him and his tendencies, and I'm not sure he'll be able to keep himself under control when Kigo literally throws herself at him."

June sat down hard in on Wade's bed and buried her face in her hands in frustration. "So then why did he still go through with this? Why didn't he wait until we were back here to offer support on this thing? Why is he doing this alone?"

Wade rubbed his neck and smiled. "Actually, you're as much a part of this as he is," he replied.

Xander stared at him, confusion covering his face. "We are? How?"

Wade shook his head. "You aren't, Xander, although I think I'm going to make sure you still have a hand to play. June, on the other hand, is a huge part of this."

"Huh?" the two future teens said in unison.

Wade grinned. "June, you are probably the main reason he's doing it this way. Ron needs you to be the one to bring the Reverse Polarizer to the Galleria Hotel when it's ready. I think he's hoping that seeing you will be enough of a shock to Kigo's system that she lets her guard down momentarily, letting Kim get control long enough that you can hit her with the reversal beam."

June was perplexed. "But why would Dad think that? Kigo already knows I exist."

"Yes, but according to what you guys told me and what I managed to monitor of the scrap that took place after she got turned, Kigo hasn't realized just how much control Kim has on her. Plus, your arrival means she's going to have concentrate on four things at once: her attempts at sex with Ron, keeping Kim at bay, the affect you have on her, and trying to avoid getting zapped again. Something's going to break down, especially if she's concerned with one of those items more than the others."

Xander rubbed his chin and squinted, making him look very much like his dad when Drakken was trying to pull the last pieces of a scheme together. "So if that's going on, where do I come in on this?"

Wade fixed him with a serious look. "It's quite possible, although unlikely, that Kigo will be able to handle four things happening at once, but I'm willing to bet she won't be able to handle five. Not if the events that were occurring during the second encounter with the Bebe robots is any sort of reliable indicator."

June snapped her fingers. "Hey, I remember Mom telling me about that. During Sophomore year she was trying to coordinate a school dance, a park clean-up, cheer team routine designs, and still stop those freaky female androids that rebelled against Dr. Drakken's control. She said she wouldn't have handled it as well as she did if it weren't for those Valkyrie 1000 shoes you gave her."

Wade nodded. "That's just it. Kim didn't handle it well. If she had, she would have listened to me and only worn the shoes while going up against the Bebes. As it was, she ended up moving at hyper-speed for almost two days before I could figure out a way to remove them. I can only imagine what she did to pass the time."

June smiled. "Yeah, Mom does take on too much a lot of the time, and sometimes it bites her hard. Of course, she wouldn't be who she is if she didn't do that. Though I do wish she'd have taken care of those…OUCH!"

She started hopping up and down and rubbing her foot where Xander had stepped on it none too gently. "X! What did you do that for?"

Xander looked at her pointedly. "Jules, you almost said something about the future. And if Wade hears about that, he'll start preparing now, which will throw the time stream off more than it already is."

June scowled at him. "Yeah, but all you had to do was nudge me. Why stomp on my foot?"

Xander grinned and winked. "To prove a point."

June grumbled, remembering what she'd done to him the day of the media blitz. "Fine, point taken. Can we move on?"

Wade turned back towards his computer and the diagnostic it had been running on the Reverse Polarizer. "Agreed. I told Ron this thing would be ready in a day, but by doing that I gave myself almost a twenty-three hour cushion. See, I think I already have this thing ready to go, but I needed to run a scan of it to be sure, which should be done in just under an hour. Then, if it's ready, you take it over there as fast as those suits can carry you and give Kigo a quick zap."

"And if it's not ready?" Xander asked with a questioning look.

Wade laughed nervously. "That's the reason for the extra cushion."

* * *

James Possible didn't know which was worse: the fact that his daughter had been turned evil, or Ron's proposed plan to turn her back to normal. Neither piece of news sounded good to his ears, and each held its own set of dangers and consequences. The idea of Kim being turned into a villain, though, had just a slightly smaller sting to it, mainly because of what Ron had planned. The very idea that the young man was going to be able to see Kim in such an intimate way really ground the older man's beans, and it was all he could do not to storm over to the Galleria Hotel and demand to be let into the room. The fact that his wife seemed so nonchalant about the young Stoppable's plan didn't help matters.

"Anne, how can you sit there knowing that in a short time our daughter is going to be seen by a young man that she's not married to," he asked in a controlled fury.

Anne Possible was not about to back down, however. "Because, James, I trust the man she is about to be seen by, and I know he would never do anything without our daughter's consent. I also know that Ron is fully aware that Kimberly isn't herself right now."

James seethed. "I swear, if he does anything…"

Anne was immediately thankful that both of Ron's parents had taken Hana to the park and weren't home at the moment. "James Timothy Possible, you will not do a single thing about this or say a single word to that amazing young man. I agree with you in hoping that nothing happens between them today, or any day prior to their wedding day, but they aren't kids anymore. Or have you forgotten that she's now eighteen and engaged to be married to the same young man you are threatening to send to a black hole for the umpteenth time?"

"Anne, it's not just what he's planning to do, it's how he told me about it. He runs in here, tells us the situation, changes clothes, and then runs out before we can even ask him any questions," her husband responded defensively.

"James, I love you, but sometimes I wonder if you're going to be one of these fathers who tries to dictate exactly how his daughter's marriage is going to go. Tell me something, if this were her wedding day, would you feel the same way about this?"

James sputtered for a moment. "Her wedding…that's preposterous. It's nowhere close to…"

His wife held up her hand to silence him. "Don't debate the details. Just answer the question. Would you feel the same if this were our daughter's wedding day?"

Kim's father took a few deep breaths. "I'd like to think I wouldn't…"

Her mother looked at him with a serious frown. "Mr. Possible, you are two seconds away from sleeping on the couch tonight. Or whatever the equivalent would be given our circumstances. Now answer me. Would you be acting this way if it were Kim's wedding day? Yes or no?"

James sighed, the remainder of his anger quickly evaporating. "No, I suppose I wouldn't. But this isn't her wedding day, Anne."

Anne smiled. "And Ron knows that. He knows that with everything he is. And, if you haven't noticed, he has way too much respect for our daughter, and for us as her parents, to do something like this without her consent. Plus, I know for a fact that he's already shown admirable restraint in the area."

James looked at her in disbelief. "How would you know that?"

A mischievous grin appeared on his wife's face. "Because a mother can read her daughter a lot better than the girl's father can. I've seen that look of relief and disappointment several times on Kim's face, most recently when we got home after giving those two a little time alone after her birthday party. Or didn't you notice that neither of them were wearing the same clothes they had on when we left?"

James thought for a moment, then a look of surprise crossed his face. "You mean to tell me that they did…"

Anne shook her head. "No, honey, I'm trying to tell you that they didn't, and I don't think it was Kim who declined. And considering how persuasive she can be, I'll bet saying no to her was no easy feat for Ron to attempt, much less pull off. But I know he did. And I trust that he'll do the same thing now, especially considering he knows it won't really be Kim asking him."

James looked at her. "But how can you be so sure about it."

Anne bent her head and shook it. "Because I know he respects us and her, and I trust him to do what's right. And I trust him to take care of our daughter's heart, something I thought you agreed with me on."

James slowly wrapped his arms around her, and though she didn't return the embrace, he was relieved she pull away. "I do, Anne. I just don't want anything to happen to Kim."

Anne smiled. "And he won't let anything happen to her. Trust me."

* * *

The more they kissed, the more Ron began to wonder if maybe Kim had actually gotten control. It was becoming harder and harder to focus on what he'd come here to do, especially with Kim in the state she was in. Or was it Kigo pretending to be Kim? For some reason, the difference in his mind was becoming cloudy. Of course, the reason for that cloudiness may have had something to do with what the red-head was offering him. He was a guy after all, and he was in a state of serious undress with the woman who was in his eyes the most beautiful thing on the face of the planet.

"Something wrong, Ronnie?" she asked when their lips broke contact.

"No, KP, just thinking how beautiful you are," he replied with a smile, allowing himself for a moment to believe that the love of his life really had come back to him.

Then he leaned down for another kiss, this one much stronger and somehow much weaker than the last. He knew he was kissing her just as passionately as he had been, but something felt off. His eyes had been closed the whole time they kissed, so he barely opened them just enough to see and still have it look like his eyes were closed. That's when he saw it, only for an instant—a dark look to those emerald green orbs that most definitely did not belong to his KP!

Quickly covering his reaction, he began moving his kisses around, pressing his lips to not only her own, but also to her cheeks, her neck, her shoulders, and everywhere else he normally kissed her. The whole time, he kept that look burning in the back of his mind, focusing intently on what he had come here to do. He added a few more soft kisses to her lips.

_RON, YOU'RE SCARING ME! STOP THIS! THAT'S NOT ME!_

"How about we amp things up a bit?" he added as he reached for the handcuffs.

Slowly, softly, he cuffed first one of her wrists and then the other to opposite posts at the head of the bed.

"Oooh, guess I'm a prisoner now," she purred demurely. "So what are you going to do with your captive?"

Ron smiled. "First I have to know. Are you absolutely sure you want this? Cause you know we've talked a lot about waiting until our wedding night."

_YES, I KNOW THAT! NOW STOP THIS RIGHT NOW, RONALD STOPPABLE!_

She smiled. "Of course I want it, Ronnie. You know me well enough to know I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

"True," Ron replied.

He gave her another long, leisurely trail of kisses around her face, neck and shoulders. He even placed several around her stomach, and a few right next to her belly button. She writhed in pleasure at his touch, and gasped slightly when he added ones to her legs just above her knees. She was so excited she didn't even notice when he reached over and grabbed the other two pairs of handcuffs and attached them to her ankles and the lower bed posts with soft clicks.

However, she most certainly noticed when he stopped his attentions and threw a sheet and blanket over her!

"Ronnie, what's going on?"

Ron sat in a chair next to the bed and stared her in the face. "Drop the act, Kigo. I know it's you."

_Alright Ron! I knew you'd figure it out._

"Ron, what are you talking about?" she asked confusedly.

He looked at her pointedly. "If you're really KP, prove it to me. Tell me something she would that you wouldn't."

She immediately began wracking her brain, trying to think of something. "I look so hot I could be a model, but there's no way I'd do that cause it would take me away from you."

_Ha! He's got your number now, bitch._

Ron shook his head. "Nope. Strike one."

* * *

Wade leaned back in triumph. "It's done!" he declared.

June jumped off the bed where she'd been attempting to read one of his tech manuals, the book flying out of her hands. "Really, are you sure about that?"

Wade nodded. "Yep. The diagnostic just came back bug-free. This time it won't blow up or start smoking. I'd be surprised if you even feel any vibrations from the ray."

"So we can use it on Kigo and turn her back to Kim, right?" Xander said with a smile.

Wade shook his head yes. "But I warn you, you're only going to get seven shots. And I highly suggest you get her with the first one, because something came up with the original diagnostic."

"What's that?" June asked, a sudden feeling of dread coming over her.

The tech genius frowned. "Drakken missed something in his original rewiring. Either that or the reason this Attitudinator helmet wasn't working was due to a factory defect. As a result, the power source won't last much longer, and I can't duplicate it right now. If you don't fix Kim in one shot, one of the other three who got zapped today is eventually going to revert back."

Xander caught on to the idea. "Meaning that we have to send them all back to evil and then back to good."

"Exactly," Wade replied. "I've rigged the H to be a power gauge. When its lights go out, the device is out of power. You may have eight shots, but I highly doubt the last one is going to have much to it."

Xander scratched his head. "But what about what Shego said about losing her competitive edge if she's fully good?"

Wade shook his head. "Trust me on this, she won't lose that edge. She didn't lose it when she was turned by Electronique, and I doubt she will now. If anything, she'll gain a better one because she won't always be looking for the kill shot."

June nodded. "Like you're Uncle Hector is always telling us, X: 'Good things come to those who fight fair.'"

Xander rolled his eyes. "Aww, Jules, not you too."

June giggled. "Sorry, X, I listen to my teachers whey they are trying to teach me about fighting skills."

"Alright, you two, get serious," chided Wade as he handed the Reverse Polarizer to June. "You guys know better than any one of us what's riding on this thing. So good luck."

"Right," they said in unison.

June and Xander quickly dashed up the stairs and out the door. In a flash, they had activated their stealth capabilities. Jumping into the air, they triggered the flight capabilities of their suits and took off, pushing the jets to the maximum as they rocketed towards the Middleton Galleria Motel and the inevitable confrontation.

* * *

Across town, Ron shook his head again. "Strike two. You know, if you really are Kim, you aren't thinking about this very hard."

_I told you Ron wouldn't be fooled!_ Kim shouted triumphantly. If she had been in control, she would have been doing a little victory dance.

_Oh, really,_ Kigo thought in retort. _So then let's see if he can tell which of us pulls this act!_ "Ron, I know I look absolutely ferociously terrible in any Nana dress, but I know I could wear one with you and you'd think I'm absolutely beautiful in it. I know this because I love you, and I know you love me too."

Ron's face lit up. "KP, is that really you?"

"Yes, Ron it's me. It wasn't before, but it is now. Though I do need to make sure it's you and not Zorpox pretending to be you. I have to know how you knew that a square-cut princess diamond was my favorite."

Ron smiled a bit and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Promise you won't be mad?"

"Promise," she said sweetly.

"I had Wade hack your secret online journal, the one that you never made public and wanted to be for your eyes only. In it, you mentioned shortly after we saw the earrings I gave you that you loved how a square-cut looked, and that a princess diamond's sparkle was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen."

Love filled her eyes. "Oh, Ron. That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. While I may be tweaked at you a bit for reading that particular journal, I understand why you did it." She cast her eyes low. "Uh, Ron, I have to admit I'm a bit uncomfortable like this, but I also have to admit I'm a little turned on. Do you think I could get a kiss before you undo these things? Just a short one?"

Ron smiled. "No problem, KP," he replied as he leaned in to softly kiss her lips.

* * *

Xander looked at his wrist Kimmunicator as they zoomed through the air. "Tracking Ron on the tenth floor, Room 1006, west side."

"Roger," June replied, the Reverse Polarizer tucked tightly to her chest in a bear hug. As much as she wanted to destroy this thing that had caused her family so much pain and misery, she knew it still had an important purpose to serve.

"Hey, X. What do we do if it takes more than one shot to get Mom back to normal? How do we pick which of the other three to change and which to leave as they are?"

"Don't worry about that right now, Jules. We'll deal with that when the time comes. Now c'mon, we have to get higher if we're going to get level with the room your parents are in."

* * *

The lightness and featheriness of the kiss gave Ron further hope that Kim had somehow mentally overcome her dark alter-ego, and he slowly began to undo the handcuffs. He'd gotten both the foot ones undone from the bedposts when suddenly there was a shattering of glass behind him! He bent forward to protect Kim from the flying shards of the vista-view window, feeling a couple of them hit his bare back. Luckily none of the sharp edges cut him or the woman beneath him. However, what happened next made him almost wish the glass had slashed his throat and killed him.

Those beautiful legs sliced up and around his neck, grasping him and tossing him against the wall. He smashed against it, dazed. When he looked up a few seconds later, he saw that dark look flashing in those beautiful green orbs once more.

"I can't believe this! I literally throw the opportunity at you, and you do absolutely nothing with it! What she sees in you I'll never understand!" The venomous velvet of that voice left little doubt just who was in control.

Trying to gain his bearings and get his head back in the game, Ron looked at the shattered glass shards that now littered the carpet. He thought something seemed off about them. Then he noticed they all had a faintly glowing, blue-green tint at their edges. That could only mean one thing. A second later, his suspicions were confirmed, as a beam laced out at Kigo, missing her by inches.

"Damnit, how could I have missed at this close range!" he heard his future daughter's voice say seconds before she materialized while floating just outside the window. The frustration on her face was evident.

"I don't know, Jules, but you'd better try again before she tries to escape," Xander somewhat shouted as he materialized next to her.

The second shot June fired struck Kigo head on, causing her to twist in obvious pain. The convulsions of his love's body caused Ron to want to turn his head so he didn't have to watch, but he forced himself to glue his eyes on her for the same reason he wanted to not do it. He loved Kim, and hated to see her hurting, but at the same time he knew this had to be done. When she finally stopped writhing, he held his breath, hoping the switch had been successful.

Almost immediately, the feet began to rub together frantically. "Man, Drakken was sooooo not kidding about the itchy feet that thing causes. Why won't it stop?"

"KP!" Ron shouted in jubilation as he flung himself at his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her.

"Uhh, Ron? Not that I'm not enjoying the attention, but do you think you could do something about the fact that I'm completely NAKED in front of our future daughter and her boyfriend?"

"Oh. Right," he said as he quickly retrieved the blanket and threw it over her.

When he was pulling it up around her shoulders, she whispered softly so that only he could hear, "Oh, and keep the handcuffs. Kigo wasn't lying when she said I get turned on a little by you doing this." At his obvious surprise, she winked and smiled demurely at him, slowly licking her bottom lip in a sexy gesture as she did so.

June and Xander landed softly just inside the window. Ron quickly undid the cuffs around Kim's wrists while June gathered up the clothes that Kigo had stolen. Ron held the blanket around Kim's shoulders while he helped her to the bathroom, and June handed the black outfit to her teenage mother. While Kim was putting on the outfit, Ron sank into a chair.

"Guess this thing's finally over," he said with a weary and exhausted sigh.

June and Xander exchanged worried looks. "Not quite," June said nervously after a bit.

"Aww man," complained Ron as he leaned back in the chair with a hand on his forehead.

"What's the sitch?" asked Kim as she emerged from the bathroom, fidgeting uncomfortably. Needless to say, she hated the look Kigo had chosen, as well as the fit of it, but there was nothing else she could wear at the moment.

"Mom!" June exclaimed, throwing her arms around Kim's neck.

"I'm fine, June. Promise."

"Good," her future daughter replied, though she still kept the hug for a few more minutes.

Finally, when they had all calmed down, Xander explained the situation. Kim listened with a grim look on her face.

"Well, first things first. Ron, I need to borrow your Kimmunicator."

Ron nodded and handed the device to her, and she immediately pressed the activation button.

Wade soon appeared on the screen. "What's up Ro…oh, hey Kim. It is Kim, right?"

"Yes, Wade, it's me."

"Prove it," he replied with a smirk.

Kim smiled mischievously. "You still have a full blueprints set and all the materials needed to construct a fully functional Cupid Ray."

Wade glanced behind himself nervously. "Good to have you back, Kim. I'm guessing June and Xander are there as well?"

Kim nodded. "Yes, and we'll get to that, but first I need to connect with Dr. Director."

The tech genius nodded. "Coming right up."

Soon his face faded, and the Global Justice head appeared on the screen. "Kim? Is that you?"

"Just after the Lil' Diablos sitch, me and Ron gave you a coffee mug that said, 'Even secret agents need help waking up in the mornings.'"

Dr. Director smiled. "Good to have you back, Kim. And in plenty of time to clear Kigo's antics off your record, too."

Kim grinned. "Good to hear, Betty. By the way, did you get the letter I sent you?"

"Yes, and thanks to your mission in the Caribbean, I don't have to worry about Gerhardt taking my job anymore. Now I just have to worry about Will Du taking it, although I think I'm safe there, because he doesn't want it."

The red-head laughed. "Sounds like Will alright. Can you pass along the word that I'm back?"

"I'd be glad to. Oh, and congratulations on your engagement to Ron."

"How did you…" Kim asked, but the screen switched back to Wade before she could finish her question. "Wade, how did she know?"

"Sorry, Kim, it came up during a briefing session while we were dealing with Kigo. But no one else outside of this mission knows anything."

Kim smiled. "Good. I still want to enjoy a few days with my new fiancé before we tell everyone and get hit with another media circus. Now, about this new sitch?"

* * *

Less than eight hours later, the sitch was finally cleaned up for the most part. The hotel manager was more than gracious about the broken window, a fact that was probably helped by Kim and Ron's reputations. Kim was once again back in her purple mission outfit, and every store that Kigo had robbed had been apologized to profusely. The boutique owner even offered to let Kim keep the clothes, but she felt it wasn't right, although she did like the sunglasses and gave the shopkeeper the full price he asked for them. Soon, the Sloth once again touched down outside the Caribbean lair of Dr. Drakken. Or rather (as Ron pointed it out), it touched down in the water outside the Caribbean Island owned by Andrew Lipsky and Sheila Godfrey.

Once inside, they found Shego and Drakken packing up their belongings. This confused Kim and Ron until Shego explained it to them.

"My brothers offered to let us stay in Go Tower while I go through my pregnancy. Not only that, I might end up rejoining the team as the leader after the boys are born."

Kim and Ron exchanged amused glances at that, looks that Shego misread completely.

"What? Just because you can take me, Princess, that doesn't mean that anyone else can."

Kim contained her laughter completely, and fixed Shego with a serious look. "Before you and Drakken leave, there's something the six of us need to discuss."

Soon, the three couples were all seated around a table, discussing the recent development Wade had discovered. The Reverse Polarizer sat in the middle like a foreboding centerpiece.

"I assure you, I followed Electronique's directions to the letter," Drakken replied defensively. "This is most certainly not my fault."

"Dad, no one's blaming you," replied Xander. "All we know is that something went wrong, and this thing didn't work like it should, meaning we have to undo and then redo the process on you, Mom, and Ron."

Shego stared at the device contemptibly, and Kim couldn't help but wonder if the mint-skinned woman was entertaining the same idea about destroying it right there that the teen hero herself was debating with.

"So then, what happens? Who gets switched and who stays like they are?"

June chimed in. "Hopefully no one. Wade said it was highly possible there were still six shots left."

Kim shook her head. "Sorry, but I have to agree with Shego on this one. It'd be better to assume we've only got five good shots left, and we can't risk leaving someone evil."

Ron grinned. "I'll do it. I've been dealing with Zorpox for two years now, so I know I can handle him."

Kim looked at her boyfriend adamantly. "Ron, there's no guarantee you'll have as much success this time."

Shego breathed out her nose pointedly. "I say we draw straws on this. It's the only fair way."

Kim was about to object, but Ron put his hand softly on hers. "She's right, KP. We have to be fair about this. Shego and Drakken have just as much riding on this as we do."

Kim looked at him for a moment, then nodded solemnly. She knew he was right, but it still hurt knowing that he might one day return to that manically cackling alter ego of his. "Alright, let's do this."

It was decided that either June or Xander should be the one to hold the straws, so a coin was flipped. It came up tails, signaling that Xander would be the one to hold them. He went off by himself, and came back a few minutes later holding six pieces of wire of apparently equal length in his hand. He held the fist holding them out for all to see.

"One of these is marked with a black burn at the end. There are six because we're going on the assumption that shot number six might not exist. You'll each draw one, and then each draw another. To make it fair, June is thinking of a number between one and ten. Pick one."

"Nine," replied Shego.

"One," Drakken answered.

"Five," Ron added.

June nodded. "Shego nailed it, so she's first. Ron's next, and then Drakken."

The mint-skinned woman stepped forward nervously and pulled a wire, which had a clean tip. Ron was next, and also pulled clean. Drakken's first draw came up clean as well. All breathed sighs of relief.

"New number," June said solemnly.

"Four," Ron said.

"Six," Shego replied.

"Two," Drakken stated.

June pointed at her father. "Ron got it. Drakken and Shego are equal from it, so I've got a new number. Pick."

"Wait," interrupted Ron. "There's a chance I might get the burned one on the first draw. Let me pick before they choose."

"Very well," Xander replied as he held the three remaining wires out to the blonde-haired young man.

Kim found herself holding her breath in nervous anticipation as her boyfriend stepped forward and reached for a wire. He seemed to pause just before he drew, and changed his mind just before picking the far left, instead going for the far right. When he pulled it out, her face fell. There was no question he'd pulled the burned one.

"Well, can't win 'em all," he said with a sigh. "Besides, maybe shot number six will work."

Kim shook her head. "Ron, we are not using that thing on you unless Wade is sure it can still fire two shots."

A short time later, Drakken and Shego were once again strapped to tables in an upright position. As Kim strapped Ron into one as well, she couldn't help the few tears that escaped her eyes. She knew it was a fair draw, and that it had been the only fair way to do it, but she still found herself afraid of the idea that there might possibly come a day where her love changed back into Zorpox. As she stood up, she saw a goofy grin on that smiling face.

"Hey, KP, how about a kiss for luck?"

Kim grinned, and gave her man a full, lingering kiss that melted softly on his lips.

"Badical," he said in reply. "Looking forward to more of those."

His fiancée smiled, and slowly walked back towards where June and Xander were standing. "Ready, everyone?" she called out as she set herself up behind the Reverse Polarizer's firing station.

"Ready," three voices chorused.

Drakken and Shego's switches went off with relatively little incident. There was a tense moment between Shego's two shots where she snarled and fired up her fists, but the next instant she was back to her new, smiling self. As soon as she finished that switch, Kim immediately buzzed Wade on her Kimmunicator.

"I think we're good Kim. Just be sure to set the last shot for automatic fire and then back away. I can't guarantee what's going to happen after all the juice is gone."

Kim nodded excitedly as the Kimmunicator switched off. "Hey, Ron. Wade said there should be enough juice left for both of your shots."

"Boo Yeah!" he replied in elation.

The first shot lanced out and zapped him. When he looked up, his eyes were cold and hard.

"BOOYEAH-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kim quickly set the Reverse Polarizer for an automatic shot and backed away. In five seconds, the ray shot out and nailed Zorpox in the chest, instantly changing him back. Almost as quickly, the device began to shake and smoke uncontrollably, but it still kept at it just long enough for the maniacal sneer of Zorpox to change back into the goofy smile of Ron Stoppable. Kim was a little worried that the beam was shorter in time and less focused than the other five that had been shot, but the instant that smile crossed her boyfriend/fiancé's face, she shoved the ideas out of her mind. A few seconds later there was an audible bang from the Reverse Polarizer, and it cracked into several pieces, all of them falling out of the firing station and smashing into the floor, where they instantly disintegrated. Finally, the machine that had caused so much trouble for them was gone.

Kim celebrated the moment by wrapping Ron in a crushing yet loving hug and planting a smoldering kiss on his lips.

* * *

At that moment, Dr. Director got a video call on her office screen from Will Du, now considered second-in-line for her job. She knew she was safe, though, because Agent Du loved being a field agent. He'd even said several times that he would probably go insane if he had her job. As she turned on the video screen, she was smiling. However, the look on her top agent's face quickly sent that smile heading for the hills.

"Will, what's wrong? What happened?"

Will shook his head in shock, giving his superior a full look at the soot and grime covering his face. "Not sure. There was a large explosion in the west wing of our French holding facility shortly after I arrived. The entire wing has been blown out, and several of the prisoners housed there were hurt or killed."

_France? It couldn't be!_ "Will, did you check on…"

The agent seemed to read her mind. "Yes, we did. And there was a body there, dressed in an identical inmate uniform and burned beyond recognition. We just got his dental records back, and it's not him. You know what that means, right?"

The Global Justice head nodded grimly. "Yes, I do."

"Should we contact Team Possible and let them know about the situation?" he asked. "You know they'd want to know about this."

Betty shook her head. "No, not right now. Kim and Ron just got done dealing with a major operation and crisis in their lives, as well as getting two known threats off of our wanted lists permanently. They deserve a break. We'll tell them at a later time, when they're recovered and are able to focus on the task at hand."

Will sighed. "You know those two aren't going to be happy we kept this from them, right? Especially considering how he interfered with what they were doing."

Dr. Director nodded. "I know, but the situation can't be helped right now. Just keep me posted on the status of the other prisoners, and double check every single one that was killed. I want to make sure he was the only one who got out in this."

"On it, Ma'am. Will Du out."

Dr. Director stood and walked over to the blinds that closed her off from the main control room of the Global Justice Go City Headquarters. She pulled a few of the slats down and stared at the large map of the world displayed on the main view screen. She focused her good eye on the red explosion marker appearing on the holding facility just outside of Lescoff, France, on the country's west arm. Scowling, she let the slats snap back into place.

_Okay, Ivan, I've got two questions for you: who helped you escape, and why would they do it?_

* * *

A few weeks later around midnight, on a warm night at the beginning of July, eight people were gathered at the Middleton High Football Stadium. This was where June and Xander had first appeared in the year 2006, and it was where they would depart from it. This time, however, they would have company on their trip through time. Lying between them in a bruised and battered heap was Future Lars, the victim of six different beatings in the past two hours. The only one who hadn't taken shots was Wade. Even Dr. Drakken had taken his turn, roughing up the ex-henchman for playing on his love's emotions, fears, and motherly instincts. The blue-skinned, ex-mad-scientist wasn't very good at the fighting aspect, but he more than made up for his lack of experience with the fire behind his punches.

"So," Kim said after the goodbyes were all said, "are you going to reappear at the exact moment you left?"

June shook her head. "No, we've been here too long. Once you've been in the past for more than a week, you can't return to the moment you came back from. We'll have to go about two months ahead of where we took off from. It also means that you have to make sure we go back when we hit this age, or everything we did could be erased."

Ron shivered. "Yeah, we really don't want that. By the way, just how old are you guys?"

Xander smiled. "June's eighteen, and I'm twenty-three. And don't worry, Ron, we don't start dating until she's sixteen."

Shego grinned. "Are you guys sure that's still going to happen? You told us that things didn't go exactly according to plan."

June shook her head. "Even if it doesn't go exactly like how we remember it, we do know that we still end up together at this point in time. Wade ran the whole thing through his Chaos Calculator 1.0, and there weren't any serious changes to the timeline. Well, nothing with us anyway. He did say there were a couple of changes, but he won't tell us what they are."

Wade merely shrugged. "Hey, don't worry about it. I promise it's nothing bad. I just can't tell you because you told me I couldn't. I'm only following your rules on this thing."

June rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Fine, be that way. Oh, and by the way, there is one piece of information we can give you, but only because you missed finding it out since we were here—she really likes lilacs."

Wade blushed all the way to the roots of his hair. "Oh, thank you."

Everyone laughed a bit before Drakken stepped forward and spoke up. "Before you go, there's one thing I don't understand. How did you get the name 'Xander'?"

His son smiled and clapped him on the back as he whispered, "Don't worry, you'll understand before I'm born. Just be sure you take care of my mother."

Drakken smiled and looked back at Shego, who smiled back. "Oh, I intend to."

Xander leaned in a little closer and whispered even more quietly, so that only Drakken could hear. "Oh, and by the way, stock up now on Ken & Larry's Fudge Surprise. Believe me, you're going to need a lot of it."

Drakken nodded intently. "Thanks for the tip."

He stepped back and put his arm around Shego, who was just barely beginning to show, and grinned like an idiot as she sighed contentedly and lay her head on his shoulder.

"Well, X, I think it's about time we got out of here," June remarked as she faced away from the group. "I'm ready for a nice long vacation in our own time."

Xander nodded, and picked up the prostrate Lars, throwing the villain over his shoulder. "I agree. If they don't give us one, why don't we just take it anyway."

June smiled. "X, I like the way you think."

She stepped forward and pressed a button on her wrist. Then she clapped both hands forward before expanding them out, creating a bright blue vortex in the air that was approximately six feet in diameter. She turned and waved at her teenage parents again.

"Take care you two, and don't worry. Things turn out just fine."

Kim smiled and waved as she leaned against Ron's shoulder. He also smiled, and waved back at June as well. "With a daughter as badical as you to look forward to, we don't doubt it."

Xander also turned and waved to his parents. "You two don't have anything to worry about either, Mom and Dad. Just be yourselves, and everything will turn out fine."

Shego smiled and waved, but Drakken was puzzled. "But being ourselves means being evil. How are we supposed to do that if we don't want to do that anymore?"

Xander laughed. "Mom, can you please explain it to him?"

Shego grinned. "Don't worry, I will," she replied as she leaned up and kissed Drakken on the cheek, causing him to blush and grin.

With that, both June and Xander waved a final time and stepped through the portal. The vortex lingered for a moment longer, and then vanished with a soft pop. The five remaining people stared at the spot for a few minutes with smiles on their faces.

"So, Wade, you've seen the future, huh?" Kim asked quizzically.

"Sorry, Kim," the tech genius replied. "I only looked at it long enough to make sure everything was fine with the time they were going back to. Then I deleted everything so I wouldn't be tempted."

"Aww, man, I was going to make some lottery picks," complained Ron jokingly.

Shego got a strange little smile on her face. "Well, if my mother's instinct is correct, I can tell you one aspect of the future. If things keep going the way they are between those two, we'll probably be in-laws one day."

Kim and Ron suddenly got surprised looks on their faces and looked at each other in shock.

"Us…and you…in-laws?" squeaked Kim.

"Well, I guess it's possible," remarked Ron. "After all, look at where the four of us are now."

"Meaning what?" Wade said with a grin.

"Oh come on, Wade," the young man said with a pointed look at his friend. "When you first met us, did you honestly peg me and Kim as one day being a couple who was engaged to be married? Or what about Drakken and Shego, two months pregnant? Or even more unbelievable, the four of us standing here and there being no fighting whatsoever?"

"Good point," the tech genius replied with a laugh.

Soon, four other voices joined in on the mirth. All of them were soon on the ground, their sides hurting from the laughter.

As they laughed, Kim couldn't help but look back over the past two months. In just a short time, so many things had happened. She had turned eighteen, and gotten engaged to the love of her life. She and Ron were all set to attend their first semester at Global Vanguard University in just a little over a month. Her two most formidable enemies had turned over a new leaf and were expecting twins, and were now almost to the point that she and Ron could consider them to be good friends. And they had all protected the future and survived one of the worst sitches they had ever faced, thanks in large part to their future children.

Ron was right—things had most definitely changed in their world. She couldn't help but wonder just how much they would continue to change as the years came and went, but one thing rang true, something she had told Ron the night of their high school graduation, just before the aliens had abducted her.

"Don't fear the future."

* * *

a/n

Wait! Before you go, don't forget the Epilogue, which is going to be posted in conjunction with this last chapter!

And don't forget to leave a comment or review, or maybe both! As always, I appreciate them. And who knows, maybe your comments will take the story in a whole new direction. It has happened before. :)


	21. EPILOGUE: 2030

A/N

The EPILOGUE is here!

This is the final installment of **Changes**. After this, comes the next story,** G.V.U. : The Freshman Rush**. For a quick little summary, make sure to catch the author's note at the end of this.

Anyway, this Epilogue serves one purpose, and one purpose only: to tell about the future that Xander and June returned to. We all know things didn't go like they were supposed to for the time-traveling pair, but what did that change?

It's time to find out.

And here is the necessary stuff:

Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.

Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.

* * *

The moment they stepped through the portal from 2006, June and Xander found themselves pulled bodily through time towards the year 2030. Their arrival was much less bumpy this time than it had been when they arrived in the past, a fact they attributed to not having to deal with time ripples. Looking around, they found Middleton High's Ron Stoppable Football Stadium much as they had left it. Checking with their Kimmunicator 7s, they took note that it was 12:01 AM, 3 July 2030. Looking at each other with smiles on their faces, they started walking. The first stop they made was at Global Justice's Middleton branch, where they dropped off Lars and filed their reports, taking the most of the rest of the night do so. As they headed for the exit, Director Will Du spotted them and smiled. He was carrying copies of their reports.

"Another fine job, you two. Still wish you'd reconsider joining us."

"Sorry, Will, not gonna happen," replied June. "We agreed to fill you in on our Chronos missions, but that's as far as it goes."

Director Du shook his head. "Very well. Still, the positions are always open if you change your mind."

"Thanks Will," Xander replied as he shook the Director's hand.

As they exited the building, the sun was just beginning to come up on a bright new day. There were two stops they knew they had to make. The first was Wade's house, and the second was Middleton Park.

Wade was extremely glad to see them, and grabbed them both in a crushing hug. "I see you two were successful. Everything go according to plan?"

Xander rubbed his neck nervously. "Not exactly, Wade. We had a few misfires, but the C.C.'s never picked up anything major."

Wade nodded. "Well, before you take off your reality belts, let me run your data against mine, just to make sure you still exist."

The process took only thirty seconds. When it was done, Wade whistled in surprise.

"Man, you guys did better than I expected. You not only corrected the mistake, you even changed things for the better. Though I think you might find a few surprises when you get home," he said with a chuckle.

"What are you talking about, Wade?" June asked, a puzzled look on her face.

Wade shook his head. "Nope, not gonna tell you. You have to see it first. But go ahead and take off your belts first. If my calculations are correct, you'll get hit by the memory ripple right as you find out."

"Wade, quit playing around. Just tell us," June insisted.

Wade grinned. "Let's just say you're going to get a taste of what life was like for your mom, June."

Their second stop, Middleton Park was much the same as it was before the time ripples started hitting, right down to the rusty yet still reliable benches. The statue of the original Team Possible was also back to normal, not even an eye patch on Kim's eye or a whisker out of place on Rufus's face.

"Looks like we did it," June said with a smile.

Xander grinned. "Won't know that until we get home and see your family."

"Race you there!" she shouted with a giggle as she jumped in the air and zoomed off.

Xander laughed and activated his own flight system, easily catching up to her and joining hands. Their flight over Middleton showed that much was the same as it had been in 2006, except for maybe a few things. The town was now much bigger, and many of the houses looked sleeker and more modern, although many were still exactly the same. They slowly descended, coming to a soft stop at the house that belonged to Kim and Ron Stoppable. Inside, they found her entire family, and Xander's too, all sitting around and chatting. The first person June saw, however, was Ronnie.

"Ronnie!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her sibling and squeezing tight. "I'm so glad you're back!"

"Back?" the elder Stoppable teen answered with a quizzical look. "But I didn't go anywhere."

Kim eyed her eldest with a pointed look. "Ronnie, remember that Julie Anne and Xander just got back from a Chronos mission. In the future they prevented, you might not have existed."

"Yes, Mom." Then a curious look crossed the smiling face. "I wonder if the boys existed in the time they left."

"Boys?" June asked confusedly.

"Oh, I'll bet they didn't," Kimono added with a teasing delight to her voice.

Ronnie opened the back door and shouted. "Hey guys, June and Xander are back!"

June and Xander looked at each other in surprise, wondering who Ronnie could be talking to.

Suddenly, three thirteen year olds burst in and tackled the two of them. One was bluish-green like Xander and his sister, while the other two were a pair of red-headed twins. At that exact moment, their memories changed, and June let loose with a phrase she knew her mom had used several times when her two uncles had gotten under their sister's skin.

"TWEEBS!"

Ron's voice rang out from the kitchen where he was fixing breakfast. "Boys, stop picking on your sister."

* * *

a/n

And that's a wrap! Whew! This thing really took on a life of its own, and seemed to keep going and going. Also, I can't believe the response I've gotten on it. Honestly, I never expected it to be this popular. But still, THANK YOU!

*series of huge bows*

With the next few days, I'm going to start posting the next story in this saga, **G.V.U. : The Freshman Rush**, dealing with Kim and Ron's freshman year at Global Vanguard University. Some old friends and villains will make appearances, as well as some new ones! Kim and Ron are ready, so I hope you are. :)


End file.
